|
Microbiome therapeutics are emerging as the future engine of drug discovery and personalized healthcare, transforming the way diseases are understood, prevented, and treated, said Dr Debojyoti Dhar, co-founder and director, Leucine Rich Bio.
We see microbiome-based treatments are misunderstood as another type of probiotic. The true potential of microbiome-based treatments comes from recognizing the microbiome as a measurable biological system capable of explaining why different people with the same diagnosis have a different response to a given treatment, she added.
In drug discovery for decades, the focus was on finding molecular targets in the human body. We see that in the next wave of innovation, one should take into account microbiome communities impacting drug metabolism, immune response and disease development. Otherwise, one is designing treatments based on the partial knowledge of human biology, she noted.
This is especially important for oncology, autoimmunity and metabolic diseases, where recent studies indicate that the composition of microbiota has implications for therapy. We see medicine will move from asking whether a drug works to identifying the microbiome profiles in which it works best, redefining clinical trials and precision medicine, Dr Dhar told Pharmabiz.
Microbiome therapeutics will not replace mainstream medicine but will advance it. The future lies in using microbial biomarkers to develop precise therapies tailored to individual biological profiles rather than relying on population averages. Here countries like India have the potential to carry out original science rather than validating discoveries. Developing the intelligence of microbiome today is not only about improving diagnostics, but creating the biological basis of next generation precision medicines, she said.
For building India's microbiome ecosystem from scientific research and diagnostics to personalized health solutions, the reference data cannot be sourced from anywhere else. Our diet, environmental exposures, use of antibiotics, and genetic make-up are all different compared to Western countries. But a large amount of information available worldwide on the topic of microbiomes is still based on data that may not sufficiently capture Indian biology, pointed out Dr Dhar.
By continuing to interpret our biology using foreign microbiome data, there is a possibility to miss key clinical applications that are specific only to Indians. We need to generate Indian data and not just conduct research on it.
Also findings of microbiome research should not be confined to academic publications. Instead, should be converted into standardized, clinically actionable data that can be readily interpreted by physicians, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals. Collaborations among biotech companies, hospitals, academia and regulators can facilitate data sharing, validate research outcomes, and accelerate integration of microbiome-based innovations into clinical practice and precision medicine, she said.
India, with its population diversity and a rapidly advancing digital healthcare ecosystem, is positioned to become a global leader in microbiome research and innovation. By integrating these strengths with robust microbiome science, our country has the potential to move beyond merely adopting international scientific advancements, instead we can contribute to original, globally relevant discoveries, said Dr Dhar.
|