Guwahati: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Bose Institute, Kolkata, have jointly developed a groundbreaking injectable hydrogel for localized cancer treatment. This innovation offers a safer and more targeted approach to fighting cancer, significantly reducing the adverse effects linked to conventional therapies like chemotherapy and surgery.
Published in the journal Materials Horizons, this study addresses key challenges in cancer treatment. According to Professor Debapratim Das from IIT Guwahati’s Department of Chemistry, traditional cancer treatments have inherent limitations. Surgeries are often unsuitable for tumors in internal organs, while chemotherapy indiscriminately damages both healthy and cancerous cells, causing severe side effects.
The newly developed hydrogel delivers anti-cancer drugs directly to the tumor site, ensuring targeted action while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. This precision not only enhances treatment efficacy but also reduces the systemic side effects often associated with chemotherapy.
Hydrogels are three-dimensional, water-based polymer networks that resemble living tissue, making them ideal for medical applications. Composed of ultra-short peptides—biodegradable and biocompatible protein building blocks—the hydrogel remains stable at the injection site and is triggered by elevated glutathione (GSH) levels, a molecule commonly found in tumor cells. This mechanism ensures a controlled and sustained release of the drug.
In preclinical trials using a murine model of breast cancer, the hydrogel demonstrated outstanding results. A single injection loaded with the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin reduced tumor size by nearly 75% within 18 days. The hydrogel remained localized, releasing the drug gradually without causing harm to other organs.
Professor Das explained that the hydrogel enhances drug absorption by cancer cells, disrupts their cell cycle, and induces programmed cell death. This multi-faceted approach not only boosts treatment efficacy but also reduces toxicity, paving the way for safer cancer therapies.
The hydrogel’s ability to optimize drug delivery allows for lower dosages, reducing the risks of side effects. Laboratory studies further validate its potential as a revolutionary tool for targeted cancer treatment.
The research team is now focusing on exploring the hydrogel’s effectiveness against other types of tumors and refining its capabilities. Plans for clinical trials are underway, with researchers seeking collaborators to advance this promising technology to the next stage.
