NEW DELHI :
RESEARCHERS at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati have developed an advanced injectable hydrogel for localised cancer treatment with significantly less side effects typically associated with conventional cancer treatments, according to officials.
The research conducted in collaboration with Bose Institute, Kolkata, has been published in “Materials Horizons”, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Debapratim Das, Professor at IIT-Guwahati’s Department of Chemistry, said cancer continues to affect millions of patients worldwide but current treatments such as chemotherapy and surgical interventions often have severe limitations.
“Surgical removal of tumours is sometimes not feasible, particularly for internal organs, while chemotherapy’s systemic delivery often results in harmful side effects by affecting both cancerous and healthy cells. We have addressed these challenges by designing a hydrogel that delivers drugs precisely to the tumour site, ensuring localised action,” Das said.
Hydrogels are water-based, three-dimensional polymer networks capable of absorbing and retaining fluids.