International Journal of Reverse
Pharmacology and Health Research (IJRPHR) has mainly focused on reverse
pharmacology and applying those into a health research in terms of
clinical and public health research. Reverse Pharmacology (RP
is the science of integrating bedside documented experiential
hits/Clinical expertise into leads by trans-disciplinary exploratory
studies (in vitro and in vivo) and to further develop these leads into
drug candidates by state-of-the art experimental and clinical
research/Public health research. Reverse Pharmacology approaches need
to be developed further and optimized as novel means for fast track
drug discovery and development of newer, safer and effective drugs.
The Traditional knowledge
database allows drug researchers to start from a well-tested and safe
botanical material. With AYUSH, the normal drug discovery course of
‘laboratories to clinics’ actually becomes from
‘clinics to laboratories’ – a reverse
pharmacology approach. In ayurvedic/Siddha AYUSH medicine
research, clinical experiences, observations or available data becomes
a starting point. In conventional drug research, it comes at the end.
Thus, the drug discovery based on ayurvedic/Siddha AYUSH follows a
‘reverse pharmacology’ path. In the field of drug
discovery, classical pharmacology, also known as forward pharmacology,
The traditional knowledge-inspired reverse pharmacology described here
relates to reversing the routine
‘laboratory-to-clinic’ progress to
‘clinics-to-laboratories’. The novelty of this
approach is the combination of living traditional knowledge such as
Ayurveda and the application of modern technology and processes to
provide better and safer leads.
Lot of scope to Understand the
mechanisms of action at multiple levels of biological organization, To
optimize safety, efficacy and acceptability of the leads in natural
products, based on relevant science. Despite a vast potential and
possibilities only a-very few success stories has been reported and
documented in Journals and electronic versions so far. Most
of the work in this field has remained within clinics of traditional
practitioners or confined to academic research laboratories , Improper
experiential documentation, Lack of proper identity and implementation
of Good Laboratory Practices, Absence of Phase II dose optimizing
studies, and Lack of political and financial supports. Through this
Journal the awareness regarding the value of their
traditional knowledge, to re- activate and re-energize discovery
pipeline of Global pharmaceutical industry,
phyto-pharmaceuticals to be developed from medicinal plants with
evidence of quality, safety and efficacy has to be achieved though
progress research.
The scope of RP is to understand the
mechanism of action at multiple levels of biological organization and
to optimize safety, efficacy and acceptability of the leads from
natural products, based on relevant science.
There
are three major domains of RP;
(1)
the experiential domain covers literature search, Ayurvedic
Pharmacoepidemiology and well-defined modest observational therapeutic
studies with objective targets of response,
(2)
the exploratory animal studies cover indication-relevant in vivo and in
vitro studies for efficacy and safety and human pharmacology and phase
2 studies for dose-finding,
(3)
the experimental domain involves well-planned experimental and clinical
investigation at different levels of biological organization, extended
clinical trials and sub-acute safety studies in two animal species.
Reverse pharmacology can be a bridge for
translational medicine from the traditional medicine to clinical
practice. Such an effort would make healthcare delivery locally
relevant and may lead to global discoveries in natural products. But it
is essential that we develop multidisciplinary Ra nd D teamwork and
infrastructure for reverse pharmacology.
The term
"health research," sometimes also called "medical research" or
"clinical research," refers to research that is done to learn more
about human health. Health research also aims to find better ways to
prevent and treat disease. Health research is an important way to help
improve the care and treatment of people worldwide.
1.
“Health research” and “research for
health”
2.
The spectrum of health research is broad and includes: