Cover page & Director's Report - Central Drug Research Institute

THRUST AREAS OF RESEARCH1. Malaria and other Parasitic DiseasesDevelopment of new drugs/drug combinations as therapeutic interventions for malaria,leishmaniasis and filariasis;Establish novel target based drug assay protocols for identification of new leads;Knowledge generation on parasite biology and host parasite interactions.2. Reproductive Health Research, Diabetes and EnergyMetabolismDevelopment of novel agents for fertility regulation, management of post-menopausalosteoporosis, type II diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemic condition and other endocrinedisorders through modern drug design, scientific validation of traditional remedies;Understanding pharmacological basis of actions of promising agents & existingtherapeutics and undertake basic research to generate new knowledge on reproductiveendocrinology relevant to fertility regulation, osteoporosis and diabetes.3. Tuberculosis and Microbial InfectionsSimplification and shortening of treatment for drug-sensitive tuberculosis and search ofnew treatments for MDR-TB;Development of new drugs for bacterial, fungal and viral (HIV and JEV) infections andtuberculosis.4. CVS, CNS and Related DisordersDevelopment of new target based drugs to alleviate CVS, CNS and related disorders(hypertension, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, myocardial infarction,anxiety, psychosis, dementia, stroke, stress, gastric ulcers and inflammation);Carry out excellent basic research to delineate the molecular mechanisms of thesepathologies so as to identify suitable targets for drug discovery, as well as to analyze thepossible mechanism(s) of action of the candidate drugs.5. Cancer and Related AreasCreation of appropriate platform for interdisciplinary collaborative research;Creation of knowledge base in cancer biology;Lead identification/optimization to obtain drug-like molecules.6. Safety and Clinical DevelopmentPre-clinical, clinical development and commercialization of new generation affordabledrugs for diseases of national importance and international relevance;Creation of center of excellence in the field of Clinical trials, Regulatory toxicology,Safety pharmacology, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics & metabolism andcatering to the needs of pharmaceutical industries.