Chandigarh, August 07: M S University (MSU) has decided to introduce a post-graduate degree course in Pharmacogenomics from the next academic year. Pharmacogenomics is a new branch of pharmacology that studies the influence of genetic variation on drug response on patients.
MSU has received the seed money from the Centre under the 11th Five-Year Plan to start the course in Pharmacogenomics and Clinical Research.
MSU Vice—Chancellor Prof Ramesh Goyal told Newsline : “MSU has mooted proposals to start courses in Pharmacogenomics and clinical research under the 11th Five Year Plan. These courses will be open pharmacy students as well as graduates in pure science. There is an Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) centre in Pondicherry that is doing research in the field of Pharmacogenomics.”
He added: “But there are not many centres and institutes in the country that offer courses in Pharmacogenomics. Similarly, very few colleges have started courses in Clinical Research. MSU will be one of the few universities to offer these kinds of courses.”
He further said: “We already have good departments such as Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Pharmacy. MSU also has a seed money of Rs 20 lakh. Moreover, we have received Rs 60 lakh under the 11th Five-Year Plan for the MSU Health Centre. We are trying to amalgamate the funds to start this project.”
Explaining the scope of Pharmacogenomics, Prof Goyalsaid.
“Pharmacogenomics is a new field and has good scope, as it is very essential to know what kind of toxicity and efficacy a drug has on the human body.
The subject will focus on the effect of drugs on an individual basis as every individual has a different kind of metabolism. Though we have the required instruments and equipment in the Biotechnology and Microbiology departments, we need some streamlining before commencing the course.”
Meanwhile, Prof B B Chatoo, Director, Genome Research Centre, said: “Prof Goyal has spoken to me about these courses. Biotechnology includes some sections of Pharmacogenomics. But, I need to further consult with Prof Goyal before commenting on starting a full-fledged course on Pharmacogenomics in the university.”
–Agencies