Drug Discovery and Drug Development: The Indian Narrative

Dr Madhu Dikshit, a highly respected researcher and former Director of the CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India, has made significant contributions to the general area of Molecular Pharmacology with a special interest in redox biology. Dr Dikshit’s research has impacted the area of neutrophil biology by enhancing our understanding of e.g. chemotaxis, phagocytosis, apoptosis and also differentiation. Her pioneering work has helped identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the translocation of Nitric Oxide Synthase to the phagosomal compartment and the inflammatory potential of neutrophil extracellular traps. At the CSIR-CDRI, she initiated and led the successful anti-thrombotic drug discovery program, in the context of which two new chemical entities advanced to the pre-clinical stage and one has recently received approval for Phase I clinical trials. Dr Dikshit has published more than 170 papers in peer-reviewed journals, holds eight patents and has supervised more than 30 PhD students. Presently she is the National Chair at Translational Health Sciences & Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad and heads its Non-Communicable Disease Program.