Thu Jan 02 13:16:41 UTC 2025: ## IIT-Guwahati and Bose Institute Develop Injectable Hydrogel for Localized Cancer Treatment
**Guwahati, January 2, 2025** – Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) and the Bose Institute, Kolkata, have developed a novel injectable hydrogel for targeted cancer treatment. This breakthrough technology, detailed in a recent publication in *Materials Horizons*, offers a potential solution to the limitations of current chemotherapy and surgical interventions.
The hydrogel acts as a controlled-release reservoir for anti-cancer drugs, delivering medication directly to the tumor site while minimizing harm to healthy cells. Unlike systemic chemotherapy, which often causes widespread side effects, this localized approach promises greater efficacy and reduced toxicity.
The hydrogel, composed of biocompatible and biodegradable peptides, remains stable at the injection site. It’s designed to respond to high levels of glutathione (GSH), a molecule abundant in cancerous cells, triggering drug release only within the tumor. Preclinical trials on a murine breast cancer model showed a single injection of the hydrogel, containing the drug Doxorubicin, reduced tumor size by approximately 75% within 18 days, with no detectable side effects on other organs.
The research team, led by Prof. Debapratim Das from IIT-G, highlights the hydrogel’s ability to improve drug uptake by cancer cells, induce cell cycle arrest, and promote programmed cell death – a multi-pronged attack on the tumor. This innovative delivery system could revolutionize cancer treatment, particularly for breast cancer, by enhancing drug effectiveness while minimizing dosage and associated toxicity.
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