RESEARCH
Application of Nanomedicine for the treatment of Human disease
Advancement in biotechnology has revolutionised the view of diagnosing and treating diseases arising due to genetic defects. The diseases can now be treated by carrying out manipulations at the molecular level. Of the various methodologies developed, gene therapy is one of the most efficient strategies. Conventionally, used to treat disease such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia and cancer, the approach solely relies on the safe and targeted delivery of the desired genetic material i.e. DNA or RNA into the cellular machinery. ‘Naked’ plasmid DNA is unstable under in vivo conditions, due to rapid degradation by serum nucleases. Therefore, carriers or ‘vectors’ are necessary to protect DNA or RNA from degradation, to facilitate uptake into specific cells, and to transfer the DNA or RNA into the nucleus or cytoplasm, respectively. Many of the currently used strategies for gene and siRNAs delivery rely upon viral vectors because of their inherent ability to transport genetic material into cells, resulting in an efficient delivery and expression of genes. However, viral vectors may cause immunogenic and inflammatory responses, which preclude repeated administrations. Due to these disadvantages development of non-viral vectors (i.e. cationic lipids, cationic polymers, liposomes, dendrimers and nanoparticles) has gained momentum as they offer several advantages, such as ease of manipulation, stability, safety, low cost and high flexibility regarding the size of transgene delivered. Among the non-viral vectors, polycationic polymers have been widely used as an alternative to lipid formulations for efficient gene delivery. The cationic polymers electrostatically interact with the negatively charged DNA and neutralize the charge to form condensed particles capable of undergoing endocytosis. The ease of modification in cationic polymers provides ample scope for further improvement in gene transfer ability of these versatile systems. The manipulations mainly include labelling, coupling to a targeting ligand and grafting in the polymer backbone to introduce certain desirable properties. The cationic polymers like polyethylenimine (PEI), poly-L-lysine (PLL) and chitosan have been widely exploited.
The major focus of our group is to develop nanoparticle based vectors for the delivery of nucleic acids for the treatment of Hypercholestrolemia and Breast Cancer.
The major focus of our group is to develop nanoparticle based vectors for the delivery of nucleic acids for the treatment of Hypercholestrolemia and Breast Cancer.
Projects
1. Indo-Mexican Collaborative Research Project (2016-2019)
Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), United Mexican States joint research project entitled, “Design of a microbial process for the removal of organophosphorus pesticides in water supplies from rural and urban water bodies”
2. Major Research Project (2015-2018)
University Grants Commission, Government of India, entitled, “Polymeric Nanoparticles Mediated Locked Nucleic Acids Delivery for the Treatment of Breast Cancer”
3. Pilot Project Grant for Young Investigators in Cancer Biology (2015-2018)
Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, entitled, “Nanoparticle Aided Delivery of siRNA for the Treatment of Breast Cancer”
4. Young Scientist Project (2013- 2016)
Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (SERC Fast Track Proposals for Young Scientists Scheme), Government of India, entitled, “Novel receptor targeted nanotechnology based gene silencing approach to suppress metabolic function of PCSK9 gene for treatment of hypercholestrolemia”
5. Start-Up-Grant under the UGC-Faculty Recharge Programme (2014-2015)
University Grants Commission, Government of India, entitled “Nanotechnology based delivery vectors for targeted drug/gene delivery for the treatment of cancer and hypercholesterolemia”
Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), United Mexican States joint research project entitled, “Design of a microbial process for the removal of organophosphorus pesticides in water supplies from rural and urban water bodies”
2. Major Research Project (2015-2018)
University Grants Commission, Government of India, entitled, “Polymeric Nanoparticles Mediated Locked Nucleic Acids Delivery for the Treatment of Breast Cancer”
3. Pilot Project Grant for Young Investigators in Cancer Biology (2015-2018)
Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, entitled, “Nanoparticle Aided Delivery of siRNA for the Treatment of Breast Cancer”
4. Young Scientist Project (2013- 2016)
Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (SERC Fast Track Proposals for Young Scientists Scheme), Government of India, entitled, “Novel receptor targeted nanotechnology based gene silencing approach to suppress metabolic function of PCSK9 gene for treatment of hypercholestrolemia”
5. Start-Up-Grant under the UGC-Faculty Recharge Programme (2014-2015)
University Grants Commission, Government of India, entitled “Nanotechnology based delivery vectors for targeted drug/gene delivery for the treatment of cancer and hypercholesterolemia”