New Delhi: Dr Chandan Adhikari, Assistant Professor, School of Chemical Engineering and Physical Science, Lovely Professional University has invented a novel process for tumor detection. The process is more efficient and economical compared to the present methods used for tumor detection.
The major challenge in the treatment of a tumor is the determination of its precise location. One of the popular methods used for the diagnosis and detection of tumor is Bio-imaging. It relies on fluorescent imaging techniques, which require fluorescent tagging agents to bind with the affected cell and give fluorescence signals. Currently, organic and inorganic dyes are being used as fluorescent tagging agents in biological researches but they come with a lot of limitations, such as being too expensive, sometimes being harmful to the human body and less effective as the color fades off quickly. They also do not provide a clear image of the tumor due to low resolution and weak signals.
Dr. Chandan’s process uses a preparation of fluorescent Titanium Dioxide modified with Gadolinium Oxide.
The Gadolinium coating brings the fluorescent properties and the biocompatibility and non-toxic nature of Titanium Dioxide makes the preparation suitable as a biological tagging agent for various bio-researches and applications. The toughness of titanium provides it stability for a longer duration even when exposed to UV-light during X-ray imaging. All these properties of these metals can be utilized to detect tumors using MRI.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2018, there were 18.1 million new cases and 9.5 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. By 2040, the number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise to 29.5 million and the number of cancer-related deaths to 16.4 million every year across the globe. Dr Chandan Adhikari, Assistant Professor, School of Chemical Engineering and Physical Science, Lovely Professional University said, “In the past few years, tumor cases have been rising rapidly globally. One of the biggest challenges currently in the treatment of this disease is detecting the precise location of tumor cells. This process will solve this problem and should help in saving many lives.”
Mr. Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, Lovely Professional University said, “It gives me immense pride that one of our faculty members has come up with such an important innovation which can be a big breakthrough in tumor treatment. We encourage all our faculty members and students to take inspiration from this and strive for excellence and innovation in their own fields.”
