Thiruvananthapuram, May 31(BPNS)Amrita Center for Nanoscience and Molecular Medicine at the Kochi Campus of Amrita University has bagged seven national and international patents for its inventions. All seven patents are related to the health sector.

Three inventions have received American patents and four inventions have received Indian patents, said Dr. Shantikumar V. Nair, Director of Amrita Center for Nanoscience and Molecular Medicine and Dean of Research, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. 

The first U.S. patent was granted for a medicine to treat multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the body’s nervous system. This is a comforting discovery for those suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) worldwide. The second U.S. patent is for developing the world’s first multimodal nano-contrast agent that can provide improved image resolution in X-rays, MRIs, and infrared fluorescence. It is an effective and innovative discovery for both detection and treatment of cancer. 

A third U.S. patent has been obtained for a nanotextile-based small-diameter blood vessel graft which lasts longer without occlusion during use. It has been successfully tested in rabbits and pigs. The next step will be testing in humans. An Indian patent was obtained for the invention of a core-shell nanoparticle system that could deliver multiple drugs simultaneously and target them to the disease efficiently without causing toxicity. Many cancers require multiple drug administration which can otherwise be very toxic.

 An Indian patent was obtained for the development of a new type of surface-nanostructured orthopedic and dental implant which integrates very well to surrounding normal bone. It improves implant life. The last Indian patent was obtained for the invention of a new surface-modified stent that prevents blockage of the vessel after implant.  Current stents elute drugs to prevent blockage but this stent does not require any drugs.

 The research behind these discoveries were led by Dr. Shantikumar V. Nair, Director of Amrita Center for Nanoscience and Molecular Medicine, Dr. Manzoor Koyakutty, Dr. Deepthy Menon, Dr Praveen Verma, Dr Krishnakumar Menon, Dr Gopi Mohan, Dr. Anusha Ashokan, and Dr. Vijay Harish. Amrita Center for Nanoscience and Molecular Medicine now has a total of 21 patents, out of which 11 are international patents. Also, they have applied for a total of 83 patents.