IIT-M researchers ‘spice up’ cancer treatment
The Indian spice-derived nanomedicines have shown anti-cancer activity against lung, breast, colon, cervical, oral and thyroid cell lines but were safe in normal cells, said officials.
IIT-Madras
NEW DELHI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), have patented the use of Indian spices to treat cancer and the medicines are likely to be available in the market by 2028.
The Indian spice-derived nanomedicines have shown anti-cancer activity against lung, breast, colon, cervical, oral and thyroid cell lines but were safe in normal cells, said officials. Animal studies have been successfully concluded recently and clinical trials are being planned with a target of making the medicines available in the market by 2027-28. “While the medical benefits of Indian spice oils have been known through the ages, their bioavailability has limited their application and use. Formulation as a nano-emulsion effectively overcomes this limitation. Stability of the nano-emulsion was a key consideration and it was optimised in our laboratory,” R Nagarajan, a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, told the news agency PTI.
“While mechanistic studies to identify the active ingredients and their modes of interaction with cancer cells are important and will continue in our labs, parallelly, we will attempt to translate the positive results in our animal studies to clinical trials in an expedited manner. We are looking at a two to three-year window for bringing the formulations to market,” he added.
Animal validation to adjust the dosage (GLP phase) and efficacy studies (non-GLP phase) have been carried out through funding support from IIT-Madras alumnus and Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan through Pratiksha Trust.
M Joyce Nirmala, chief scientific officer (Cancer Nanomedicine and Drug Design Laboratory), IIT Madras, said the patented Indian spice-based nano-formulations have proven effective in many common types of cancers through in-vitro studies.
“The drug dosage adjustment and efficacy are now under investigation through animal models. This will be followed by clinical trials. This cancer nanomedicine is being developed to reduce the cost and pain of cancer treatment… The formulations are developed for an oral route of administration to ease the treatment process. The spices chosen are edible, hence, biocompatibility is good, reducing toxic side effects,” she said.
