Towards%20an%20Integrated%20Research%20Policy%20in%20the%20Area%20of%20Drug%20Discovery%20in%20the%20Arab%20Countries

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Towards an Integrated Research Policy in the Area
of Drug Discovery in the Arab Countries
Including mechanisms to better utilization of
their terrestrial and marine wealth. Bassem
El-Menshawi NEPAD Sci Technol Regional
Coordinator for Northern Africa, National
Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
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DRUG DISCOVERY TYPES OF RESEARCH
LABORATORIES NEEDED This depends on the
therapeutic class required
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DRUGS TO BE DISCOVERED FOR EXAMPLE IF
PRIORITY GIVEN TO -ANTITUMORS,
-ANTICARCINOGENIC, -IMMUNOMODULATORY,
-ANTIVIRAL AGENTS A CELL CULTURE LAB
IS NEEDED
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• THE STATE OF THE ART OF DRUG DISCOVERY
• THE USE OF IN VITRO BIOASSAYS
• THE USE OF CELL LINES
• (e.g. HUMAN TUMOR CELL LINES)

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
In-Vitro Bioassays-Rapid, less
selective, but diagnostic, less expensive,
-suitable for minute amounts of materials,
-suitable for screening large number of
samples in Drug Discovery programs.
In-Vivo Bioassays More selective,
expensive, mostly Time Consuming,Animal model,
require large amounts of material,hardly could
guide the fractionation of extracts or mixture of
compounds.
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• TYPES OF RESOURCES TO BE UTILIZED
• Natural Resources Line
• - Plants
• - Microbes (bacteria,
  fungi)
• - Marine Organisms
• Synthetic Line
• - Novel Chemical Entities
• - Generics

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THE BASIC CHEMICAL LABS LAB FOR NATURAL
PRODUCTS (Isolation of Natural Compounds)

LAB FOR SYNTHESIS (Rational Pharmacological,
Computer Aided Drug Design)
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IN ADDITION TO -
ANTI-VIRAL TESTING LAB - PHARMACOLOGICAL
PROFILE TOXICOLOGY LAB

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FOR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTS A
BIOTECH / MOLECULAR BIOLOGY FOR
DISCOVERY OF ANTIBIOTICS A MICROBIOLOGY /
FERMENTATION LAB FOR ANTI-SCHISTOSOMIASIS
PARASITOLOGY LAB
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THERAPEUTIC NATURAL PRODUCTS -
ACTIVE COMPOUNDS - ACTIVE EXTRACTS
- COMBINED ACTIVE EXTRACTS

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METHODS OF DRUG DISCOVERY FROM NATURAL
PRODUCTSHow the Active Principle be identified
? -Phytochemical Approach
-Bio-Activity Approach -High Throughput
Screening -Computer Aided HPLC/MS
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EXISTING PROJECT MODEL AT THE NATIONAL RESEARCH
CENTRE, EGYPT A SEARCH FOR
SCHISTOSOOMICIDAL, ANTITUMOR, ANTICARCINOGENIC,
IMMUNOMODULATORY, AND ANTIVIRAL AGENTS IN
EGYPTIAN PLANTS
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• This is a drug discovery program conducted at
  NRC
• based on Egyptian plants,
• utilizes universally accepted protocols
• for bioactivity-guided fractionation
• of plant extracts,
• and in-Vitro Bioassays.

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• Under this project Egyptian plants
• are Bio-assayed for specific
• medicinal activities
• Schistosomicidal
• Antitumor
• Cancer chemopreventive
  
• anticarcinogenic
• Immunomodulating
• Antiviral

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BIOACTIVITY APPROACH-Extracts are screened for
a specific medicinal activity (an in-vitro
bioassay).-Only BioActive extracts are
fractionated.-Active fractions are further
fractionated to isolate the active
compound(s) in pure form. -Characterization
of its structure.
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• Only Bio-Active Extracts
• are subjected to
• Bioassay-Guided Fractionation, in 2
• steps
• Initial Partitioning
• Comprehensive Fractionation
• for the isolation of their active
• principles.

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• EX-VIVO BIOASSAY
• In-Vivo / In-Vitro
• Used for assaying the activity of compounds
  isolated in limited amounts,
• untill additional materials could be obtained
  sufficient for in-vivo bioassy.
• It detects the effect of in-vivo absorption and
  metabolism on compounds that are active
  in-vitro.

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• Active compounds isolated are then bioassayed
  in animal models
• to confirm the bioactivity
• and determine their therapeutic value and
  toxicity profiles.

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The overall accomplishments After 3 years of the
projects life are as follows
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Conclusions-Screening Large Number of
Natural Species-Using In Vitro Bioassays-For
5-10 Medicinal Activities
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• Conclusions-Integrates Arab Natural
  wealth-Optimizes Arab IPR-Enhance the
  Invention in a Strategic Area

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Conclusions- 1-3 Central Joint Research Lab
(under one strategy, one mechanism, one protocol,
and one leader).- Nodes in each country- Joint
Surveying of Biodiversity-Joint Ownership of
Products- Networking
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Conclusions- Arab Meeting for Strategic
Planning of Drug Discovery- Role of Bibliotheca
Alexandrina
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ALL THE PRAISES AND THANKS BE TO ALLAH
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• THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE ACADEMY OF
  SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, CAIRO, EGYPT,
  UNDER THE PROGRAM OF BIOTECHNOLOGY 1998.