On Thursday, September 12th, 2024, the Faculty of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University hosted a research seminar led by Dr. Shakta Mani Satyam, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and In-Charge of the Central Animal Research Facility at the Translational Medical Research Centre, RAK College of Medical Sciences, RAK Medical & Health Sciences University. The seminar, attended by candidates of the master’s in Drug Discovery and Development program and faculty members of the pharmaceutical sciences department, was titled: “Cutting-Edge Innovative Horizons in Drug Discovery: Leveraging Advanced Research Facilities and Ethical Animal Use for Tomorrow’s Medical Breakthroughs.”
Dr. Satyam is an expert in preclinical pharmacology research, focusing on animal models of human diseases such as pain, inflammation, cardiotoxicity, diabetes, and neurodegeneration. His extensive hands-on experience includes advanced techniques such as stereotaxic neurosurgery, Langendorff apparatus for myocardial ischemia-reperfusion studies, ECG and blood pressure monitoring in rodents, and molecular biology assays, including cell line studies.
During the seminar, Dr. Satyam emphasized the importance of ethical guidelines in animal handling and experimentation, shedding light on the processes involved in obtaining ethical approvals. He also highlighted the crucial role preclinical investigations play in the drug discovery process, comparing their scope with the growing potential of artificial intelligence in research.
The session concluded with an engaging discussion, where participants explored the various avenues of animal studies, further enhancing their understanding of preclinical research and its impact on future medical breakthroughs.