MS University researchers secure US patent for nano drug delivery tech for cancer treatment

Researchers from the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science of Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda have been granted a US patent for developing a nanocarrier-based drug delivery technology aimed at improving cancer treatment.

The American patent is the second patent received for the technology after it was earlier granted recognition in India, university officials said.

The research was carried out by former research student Priyanka Mathur under the guidance of Dr Arpita Desai from the university’s Chemistry department.

According to the researchers, the nanocarrier-based system enables cancer drugs to be released gradually and in controlled quantities inside the patient’s body, reducing side effects while improving the effectiveness of treatment.

Dr Desai said conventional cancer drugs often attack healthy cells along with cancerous cells, resulting in severe side effects.

She said the team had developed a nanocarrier drug delivery system based on a chemical compound called bishydroxy benzylidene cyclohexanone, which possesses properties similar to curcumin, a compound naturally found in turmeric.

The technology was tested with more than six commercially available anti-cancer drugs used for treating different forms of cancer.

According to the researchers, unlike conventional drug delivery methods in which medicines are released rapidly into the body, the newly developed system allows medicines to be released slowly over time in controlled doses.

In some experiments, the release of the drug reportedly continued for up to 16 days, reducing the need for repeated medication doses.

Researchers said the gradual release mechanism significantly lowered the side effects commonly associated with chemotherapy drugs while enhancing their therapeutic impact.

Dr Desai further said the delivery system itself also demonstrated anti-cancer properties because of the curcumin-like characteristics of the chemical compound used in the nanocarrier.

“As a result, the system that carries the medicine into the body also contributes towards destroying cancer cells along with the drug,” she said.