NEW DELHI: IIT Madras has patented a breakthrough drug delivery system aimed at treating breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide. The innovative solution, developed by the institute’s researchers leveraged the unique properties of nanomaterials to create a drug delivery system that targets cancerous cells directly, offering a safer and more effective alternative to traditional treatments.
Swathi Sudhakar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering at IIT Madras, explained stating, “Nanocarriers are biocompatible and are not toxic to the non-cancerous or healthy cells. Hence, they are the perfect alternative to treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy or chemotherapeutic drugs, which not only attack the cancer cells but also affect the health cells leading to toxic and severe side effects such as hair loss, nausea, fatigue, and a compromised immune system,”
Additionally, Sudhakar highlighted that over time, cancer cells can develop resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, reducing their effectiveness.
However, in laboratory tests on breast cancer cells, the newly developed nano-archaeosomes loaded with drugs successfully triggered cell death and halted tumor growth, even at low doses of the chemotherapeutic drugs.
This research was funded by IIT Madras and the Ministry of Education, has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including Materials Advances and Nanoscale Advances by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The researchers received an Indian Patent for the innovation last month.
After the patent formalities, translation and commercialization of this innovative technology can be developed by the industry with due permission of the patent authorities.
Sudhakar said that the research holds great potential to revolutionize cancer treatment, improving survival rates and the quality of life for millions of patients.
“Our next step is to test the efficacy of the formulation in animal models and explore the translational potential of this research in the healthcare sector,” Sudhakar added.
“Over the next decade, the goal is to establish collaborations with healthcare industries and the pharma sector to bring drug loaded nanomaterials into clinical trials and thereby making them available for use in breast cancer patients,” she further said.
The new formulation also offers benefits such as controlled drug release, ensuring prolonged availability at the tumor site while minimizing the need for frequent dosing. Furthermore, the therapeutic formulations are stable at high temperatures, making them easier to store at room temperature without requiring sophisticated cold storage facilities.
