Third day of CTDDR2025: The 9th Maha Kumbh for Drug Research

Tremor is linked to the dysfunction of ion channels, including BK channels: Prof. Mark A. HollywoodOn Day 3 of #CTDDR2025, Session VII was focused on emerging therapeutics for CNS and CVS disorders. Tremor is a neurological condition that includes shaking or trembling movements in one or more parts of the body, most commonly affecting a person's hands. Prof. Mark A. Hollywood from Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland, delivered a talk on “Modulation of BK channel function by the LINGO family of regulatory subunits.” The tremor is linked to the dysfunction of ion channels, including BK channels. They reported the interaction of the BK channel with an unrelated protein called LINGO1, which leads to the generation of tremors.  

Small non-coding RNAs can serve as regulators and biomarkers for acute liver failure and can be helpful for liver regeneration: Prof. Amar Deep Sharma
The talk by Prof. Amar Deep Sharma from Hannover Medical School, Germany, was focused on development of regenerative-medicine based approaches for the treatment of liver diseases. His lab has discovered small non-coding RNAs that serve as regulators and biomarkers for acute liver failure and as enhancers of liver regeneration. Further, he discussed about microRNAs as a regulator of acute liver failure. He has obtained the European, USA and Chinese patent for the potential use of microRNA-125b-5p for the treatment of acute liver failure. 

A neuron-gut signaling axis that regulates longevity: Dr. Arnab Mukhopadhyay
Dr. Arnab Mukhopadhyay from the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, discussed his research on the neuron-gut signaling axis that regulates longevity. Using the C. elegans as a model organism, they proved the role of vitamin B12 in the regulation of metabolism, behaviour, and aging. He also shared the current understanding of the micronutrient-mediated communication to modulate behaviour and longevity via the neuron-gut signaling axis. 

The VIII Session of CTDDR2025 was dedicated on Novel targets in bone and reproductive health

In the Plenary Lecture, Prof. Martin M. Matzuk from Baylor College of Medicine, USA, shared his research on “DNA-encoded chemistry technology for drug discovery.” Using functional genomics, they have investigated essential fertility pathways and have developed more than 300 unique transgenic mouse models to study fertility, development, and ovarian cancer. Their team has synthesized more than 70 DNA-encoded chemical libraries containing more than 7 billion diverse small molecules to uncover low Nano molar drug-like inhibitors and novel chemical matter. He presented the work to generate unique small molecule inhibitors of TGFbeta superfamily kinase receptors and kinases, and proteases involved in multiple pathways.

Later in the session, Prof. Arthur D. Conigrave from the University of Sydney, Australia, shared his research on the L-amino acid-dependent signaling from the calcium-sensing receptor. Through his intensive research, they proposed that the calcium-sensing receptor’s sensitivity to extracellular Ca ion and its responsiveness to changes in amino acid concentration are dependent upon the local production of glutathione.  Prof. Sudhaker D. Rao from the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, USA, shared his views on the topic “Dilemma in osteoporosis management. Precisely, he discussed the role of bone remodelling in maintaining skeletal integrity in the pathogenesis of typical and atypical fractures and talked about the development of novel drugs for osteoporosis management. Further, Dr. Deepa Ghosh from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, explained about the innovative strategies for combating progressive cartilage matrix degeneration. Their group is perusing molecular targets that are implicated in cartilage breakdown, with an aim to develop therapeutic strategies that might delay/block cartilage degeneration. 

The IX Session of CTDDR2025 was dedicated on Anti-cancer therapeutics and prevention of relapse
The first lecture of the session was delivered by Prof. Anjan Thakurta from the Oxford Translational Myeloma Centre (OTMC), UK, on the topic “Therapeutic resistance: Learning from cereblon targeting agents in myeloma.” His talk was focused on the genetic mechanism of resistance to the immunomodulatory class of drugs (IMiDs), which is the foundation in myeloma therapy. Later, Prof. Vijay Tiwari from the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Denmark, shared his research on cancer metastasis by deciphering gene regulatory code. Metastasis remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, irrespective of the primary tumor origin. He shared his findings with the participants on single-cell transcriptome analysis to investigate the core gene regulatory program that governs distinct stages of metastasis across cancers. Dr. Murali Ramachandra from Aurigene Oncology Limited, Bengaluru, shared his recent research on the discovery and development of a Pan-KRAS degrader. KRAS is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes across various cancers. Using their proprietary structure-based Directed Neo-substrate Degrader (DNsD) platform, they have identified a development candidate with highly desirable characteristics for cancer treatment. Further in the session Dr. Neeraj Jain from the CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow, explained the chemotherapy resistance and immune escape signatures in B Cell Lymphoma. They have identified chemotherapy resistance signatures and oncogenic signaling pathways to facilitate target-specific drug discovery. 

The Session X of CTDDR2025 was dedicated on CDRI Alumni talks for next generation
CDRI has huge Alumni network with more than 2000 PhDs from this Institute. In the session X, alumni of the CSIR-CDRI presented their recent research. Dr. Swapnil Sinha from IIT Guwahati BioNEST, Guwahati, shared her thoughts on “Innovation in action: Turning scientific ideas into commercial impact.” Dr. Rakeshwar Bandichhor from the Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Hyderabad, shared his recent research on “Synthetic strategies for Plerixafor: A hematopoietic stem cell mobilizer.” Dr. Dimpy Kalia from The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, shared her research on “Protein bioconjugation and the chemical biology of bacterial c-di-GMP signaling.” Dr. Arunendra Pathak from Taros Chemical GmbH & Co KG, Germany, presented on “Nitrosamine impurities in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their regulatory landscape.” All these alumni thanked their alma mater i.e. CSIR-CDRI for shaping their career. 

The XI Session of CTDDR2025 was dedicated for Start-ups
In the session, Dr. Anirudh Ranganathan from the Sekkei Bio, Chennai, discussed on the need and development of oral insulin for the treatment of diabetes. Oral insulin has been a long-standing goal in diabetes research, which would positively impact millions of diabetics globally. He shared his research on development of a novel insulin analogue, which shows gut survival and potency. The candidate has shown great promise in animals and is expected to enter clinic in 2026. Then, Dr. Deepak Agrawal from Sravathi AI Technology Private Limited, Bengaluru shared his recent research on Molecular glue-design-evaluator (MOLDE): An advanced method for in-silico molecular glue design.” The model will greatly contribute to the growing literature of in-silico approaches to drug design. The session was followed by the talks of Dr. Mukul Jain from Zydus Research Centre, Ahmedabad, and Dr. Mandar Bodas from Elsevier. Dr. Jain shared his recent research on Desidustat, which is a new frontier in anemia management. Dr. Bodas talked on AI-powered data solutions to advance drug discovery and development. 
Session XII: Flash Talks 2
The day was ended with a flash talks session, where selected students and young faculty from different scientific fields delivered their novel findings.  Additionally, in the poster session, over 180 posters were showcased by young investigators, highlighting their innovative research.