9 December 2008
By Swati Shinde
Pune, India
TNN
Nanotechnology can be used for cancer cure, said Vinod Labhasetwar, one of the top nanotechnology experts from Lerner Research Institute, US. Labhasetwar, who was in the city on Monday, talked about the recent developments in the field of nanobiomedicine. “The field of nanotechnology is undergoing rapid developments on many fronts. Currently, we are making an effort at our institute to use nanotechnology to create ways to diagnose and treat cancer patients,” Labhasetwar, who has been working at Lerner for the past two years, said.
“If we can develop a therapy for cancer, which even today is untreatable, then it will be a revolution. I believe, nanobiomedicine can certainly do it. We have to develop nano particles that can treat cancer cells. Nanotechnology is in a transition period. It is still evolving and the future looks exciting. But when the results will be out, it will be nothing sort of a miracle,” he added.
Labhasetwar, who was born and brought up in Nagpur, has research interest in transitional nanomedicine. He leads the Cancer NanoMedicine Programme at the laboratory which investigates various nanosystems for drug/gene delivery in cancer therapy, stroke, cardiovascular conditions, and other age–related disorders. Labhasetwar is also experimenting with iron oxide particles to create better images of cancerous tumours. Iron oxide also could be used to deliver drugs to certain tissues in the body, Labhasetwar said.
Asserting that nanotechnology is really the next big thing and not just a hype, Labhasetwar said, “People say there are a lot of risks involved in it. But tell me, which area is risk–free? Take the example of antibiotics we use. Aren’t there any side–effects of the drugs? With nanomedicine, I can assure that these things can be avoided.”
Talking about the progress of nanotechnology in India, he said, “There has been quite a bit of research happening in the country and the government is also investing in it. However, I think, there needs to be a landmark technology and research to really get a breakthrough.”
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