News Update
Kolkata based researchers from Bose Institute, an autonomous institution of the DST (Department of Science and Technology), have come up with a new method of creating hydrogels from a small five amino acid SARS-CoV-1 virus protein fragment which may aid in the improvement of targeted drug delivery & decreasing side effects.
Since chronic and infectious diseases have become prevalent, the research into new modes of delivery of medication in order to enhance the efficiency of treatments remains a priority.
As biocompatible polymers, hydrogels possess the necessary swelling capacity and mechanical strength that make them good candidates for drug delivery.
Besides, short peptide-based hydrogels are supposed to be very promising materials for many fields. Unfortunately, the gelation of these systems has been shown to be very difficult to regulate. Even small variations in peptide sequence may dramatically alter the self-assembly processes and, as a consequence, the propensity to gel.
After the SARS CoV E protein was implicated in the assembly and release of the virus, researchers at the Bose Institute hypothesized that it may have intrinsic self-assembly properties that could facilitate the development of hydrogels.
This unique discovery could lead to significant medical advances such as customizable hydrogels that could improve targeted drug delivery, thereby increasing treatment efficacy while reducing side effects. These materials have the potential to revolutionize tissue engineering and enhance organ regeneration. These gels may also help improve wound care and provide more accurate disease modelling for research.