An assistant professor of a Patiala-based University has bagged the prestigious Department of Science and Technology Nano Mission research grant of Rs 50 lakh for developing infrared nanoparticles that can help identify potentially cancerous cells at a very early stage.
Titled 'Development and Evaluation of Infrared Nanoparticles for Cellular-wide Sensitive E-field Mapping', the three-year research project awarded to Dr Manoj Kumar of Thapar University's Chemical Engineering Department, entails development of a nano-sensor technology that can be utilised to detect cancer much in advance, said a release issued by the varsity.
Kumar happens to be among the eight researchers from all over India who have been selected for the project out of 66 researchers from prestigious organisations of national repute like IITs, NIIT and CSIR labs who were invited to give presentations before the DST national selection committee, it said.
The assistant professor, who has over 500 research citations to his credit in this field, said this technology would help doctors formulate early treatment strategies for patients, resulting in increased survival rates.
"This project will not only help in developing cancer- sensitive sensors, but will also provide an easy technological methodology to calibrate and utilise such systems for real-time applications," he pointed out.
DST Nano Mission is a highly prestigious funding agency that has the highest publications record in the country and the third highest in the world.
