The Experimental Therapeutics Centre focuses on developing and acquiring new and innovative assays for natural product development and drug discovery. Our research emphasize on high throughput cell-based and cell-free screening systems, as well as whole organism assay system. By adopting these approaches, ETC could explore the research areas such as pluripotent stem cell development, developmental pathway analysis and host-pathogen interaction.

NPDC focuses on discovery of active therapeutic agents from Malaysia’s mega biodiversity natural resources. Research on local plants (My Nature 50,000), microorganisms and metabolites are actively conducted with the aim to isolate as much chemical compounds with potential therapeutic property as possible for the biopharmaceutical industry. Currently, extraction and isolation of natural products are focused on finding therapeutic agents with anti-aging, skin whitening, anti-inflammation, anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities. In addition, research on Development of Herbal Products is also conducted with aim to address health problems in local community. Herbal remedies have become more popular nowadays as an alternative to conventional drugs and medicine mainly due to the lesser-known side effects compared to the chemical pharmaceutics. In this study, local herbs from Malay, Indian and Chinese traditional medicine will be extracted and formulated as an alternative treatment for diabetes. In vitro and in vivo study will also be conducted to evaluate toxicity anti-diabetic efficacy of the product formulated. NPDC also focuses on drug discovery using in silico methods. Computer-aided drug design is an important tool in drug discovery studies as it provides in-depth understanding of the molecular basis of drugs’ actions and allows exploration of chemical interactions betweendrugs and their receptors. The application of simulated drug design and computational analysis are strategised with an aim of discovering new potential chemical entities from natural resources. Hits obtained from the simulations are further characterised with laboratory work which includes plant extractions.

SPTC has a major role in supporting the overall drug and herbal development activities in IPharm , by providing valuable insight into potential adverse effects of drug candidates. We aim to forward safe and effective lead compound(s) for drug development for IPharm as well as for other organisations requiring these services. The core activities of SPTC include assessment of drug-drug and drug-herb interaction risk and cardiac safety profile during drug/herbal development. Toxicology studies involving animal model are also carried out to determine the safety profiles of lead compounds.

IPharm Animal Research Facility (IPARF) is designed and built to meet the international standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Good Laboratory Practice (OECD-GLP) and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) to carry out pre-clinical animal studies and Specific Pathogen-Free (SPF) rodent breeding program. IPARF is a separate building next to the IPharm main buildings and it is operated as a restricted-access facility since 2011. The facility has an area of approximately 4000 square meters with animal holding rooms, SPF rodent breeding rooms, cleanroom (class 10,000), surgical room, procedure rooms, Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL 2) laboratory, quarantine room and necropsy rooms. This facility houses equipments such as individually ventilated cages, rotarod testing system for rodents, grip strength testing system for rodents, high capacity steam sterilizers, rack and cage washer and animal drinking bottle station to support preclinical studies and SPF breeding activities. Besides the capability in carrying out GLP toxicity study, researchers can also utilise the facility for the non-GLP animal studies. At present, IPARF is also working closely on collaborations with a biotechnology company and Universiti Sains Malaysia for its SPF rodent breeding program. We have initiated the actions towards achieving the AAALAC accreditation and aiming at providing high quality SPF rodents and animal models to interested parties. All research proposals on animal studies and breeding program will be thoroughly reviewed by the IPharm Animal Ethics Committee (IPAEC) to ensure that all activities comply with the animal research legislation and ethical conduct.

Product Development Research Division develop prototype at lab scale for optimization & pilot scale for registration purpose so that research works related to pharmaceuticals & nutraceuticals from IPharm or outside, catering for local universities, government agencies and small/medium industries prior to commercialization. This can be accomplished either by contract manufacturing or distributorship appointment. This centre provide development services in the areas of drug delivery/formulation, nanoparticles, drug-eluting devices, analytic chemistry, bioanalytics, and drug product and device manufacturing. IPharm in the process of building a cGMP facilities for solid oral, liquid and semi solid dosage forms.