The Central Government has put up a proposal for an Institute for Alternatives to Animal Experimentation in the 11th Plan. The Indian Council of Medical Research is working alternative ways of testing and substitute technologies despite the fact that animal testing is a requirement for various stages of drug trials and scientists are pushing more relaxed norm.
Besides, the DBT has also launched steps to develop in vitro screening system for screening plant extracts having anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-amoebiasis, anti- leishmaniasis, and osteogenic activities before testing on animal models, it was revealed.
“CSIR laboratories have already established high through-put screening, QSAR and molecular modelling facilities and all initial screening are under taken on in vitro models. Only those entities which are found active on in vitro studies are taken up for in vivo studies. In silico simulation of interaction of bio-molecules (DNA/ proteins) with drugs/xenobiotics for elucidation of possible mechanism of toxicity is under development. In fact development of comprehensive in-silico tool for effective clinical trial has also been planned to be taken up during 11th Plan period,” ICMR sources said.
In the meantime pharma companies are finding it hard to procure animals for testing. Since there’s a bit of of a catch 22 situation here – that is pharma companies need their drugs tested on animals to meet international standards yet stern laws and increased activism makes such animals hard to procure. Perhaps increased efforts by international regulatory authorities to find substitute technologies for animal testing.
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