Project R-14254

NANOGEN: CONJUGATED POLYMER NANOPARTICLES AS NANOGENERATORS FOR HYDROGEN DELIVERY IN CANCER THERAPY (Research)

Phototherapies have attained fortified position in the battle against cancer, one of the deadliest diseases in the world. They are minimally invasive, offer spatiotemporal selectivity and reduced complications as compared to chemotherapy or surgery. However, the established photodynamic therapy is hindered by hypoxia, a serious obstacle to the oxygen-dependent therapeutic modality. Hydrogen gas (H2) has emerged as a potential therapeutic solution in treating diseases like cancer, parkinson, arthritis, etc., However, to control gas delivery to the diseased areas accurately using the current administration methods is difficult as solubility of H2 is low in biological settings. Hence, controlled production of H2 at the disease site with sustained and significant release is required to enhance its therapeutic efficacy. Recently, organic semiconductor heterojunction nanoparticles have been used for photocatalytic H2 evolution in the context of green energy. In this work, photocatalytic H2 delivery using donor-acceptor conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CNPs) is proposed as a promising strategy to overcome the challenge of tumor hypoxia at low doses of both CNPs and near-infrared light. The CNPs will be developed and systematically characterized for their physicochemical, optical, photocatalytic and biological characteristics. This study will result in a rational CNP design for the biological optical window, to provide an effective phototherapeutic cancer treatment.

01 November 2023 - 31 October 2027