CDRI: CDRI presents protein-drug combination to combat osteoporosis due to chronic kidney disease | Lucknow News

Lucknow: After five years of research, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) has found that treating the proteinSclerostin' using a medication may potentially help with treatment osteoporosis or caused by fractures chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Based on the research, CDRI partnered with a multinational pharmaceutical company Zydus Life Sciences Ltd, Ahmedabad, to develop drugs to treat disorders of bone metabolism. The goal of the collaboration is to ensure that CKD patients struggling with osteoporosis and fractures have access to effective and affordable therapies that improve their quality of life.
CDRI Director Radha Rangarajan said: “Chronic kidney disease affects over 10% of the world's population and poses significant health challenges. CKD leads to progressive loss of kidney function and can ultimately lead to kidney failure. One of the hallmarks of CKD is a disruption in mineral metabolism, which increases the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Therefore, CDRI, together with Zydus, began developing a drug to cure osteoporosis and fractures caused by CKD.
Rangarajan explained that people over 65 years of age, especially women, are at higher risk of developing fractures and osteoporosis due to chronic kidney disease. Most conventional medications for osteoporosis are contraindicated in CKD patients because they can worsen kidney function. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective drugs for osteoporosis that could reduce the risk of fractures without affecting kidney function, she added.
“Studies suggest that the sclerostin protein plays a key role in the dysregulation of bone metabolism. High levels of sclerostin are observed in patients with advanced stages of CKD and osteoporosis. “Based on research conducted at CDRI and data from antibody-based therapies (biologics), sclerostin has emerged as a promising drug target for the treatment of CKD-induced osteoporosis as well as postmenopausal osteoporosis,” she added.
To develop oral drugs through the discovery of small molecule sclerostin inhibitors, CDRI and Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, Ahmedabad, have signed a joint research agreement under which both organizations will jointly conduct preclinical research and develop any drug candidates resulting from their efforts by Zydus for India and other markets.
Rangarajan mentioned that the CDRI has been working extensively in the field of bone metabolism under the leadership of senior scientist Naibedya Chattopadhyay. The multi-researcher CDRI team will pursue a groundbreaking approach to identify compounds that inhibit sclerostin signaling. The complementary expertise and capabilities of CDRI and Zydus Lifesciences, as well as their shared mission to address India's unmet needs through innovative therapies, make this collaboration particularly meaningful.