PU secures ₹86 lakh ICMR grant for research on skin cancer cure

Chemistry and Biophysics departments to develop metallosurfactant-based formulation for localised treatment using visible light

Blurb: Chemistry and Biophysics departments to develop metallosurfactant-based formulation for localised treatment using visible light

Simran Preet will lead the in-vivo evaluation against skin cancer using tumour models developed by her research group. (H File)

Panjab University (PU) has secured an ₹86 lakh grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to develop a light-activated therapeutic bandage for potential localised treatment of skin cancer.

The project, sanctioned under the ICMR ANVESHAN Extramural Grants 2026 programme of the department of health research, ministry of health and family welfare, will be led by Gurpreet Kaur of PU’s department of chemistry. Simran Preet from the department of Biophysics is the co-principal investigator.

The research will focus on developing a metallosurfactant-based formulation for photodynamic therapy (PDT), a treatment approach that uses light-sensitive compounds activated by light to target cancer cells. The proposed formulation is intended to be incorporated into a therapeutic bandage that can be activated using visible light.

The researchers said the approach could potentially deliver treatment directly to affected skin areas while limiting exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. However, the technology is still at the research stage, and its safety and therapeutic effectiveness will need to be established through further preclinical studies and subsequent clinical evaluation.

The team will study the formulation’s therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of action, optimise treatment parameters and assess its suitability for further preclinical development. Simran Preet will lead the in-vivo evaluation against skin cancer using tumour models developed by her research group.

Gurpreet Kaur, a recipient of the DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award, has over two decades of experience in physical chemistry, with research focusing on metallosurfactants and their applications in drug delivery and photodynamic therapy. She has published over 120 research papers and holds multiple Indian patents.

The collaboration between PU’s Chemistry and Biophysics departments is expected to combine formulation development with biological evaluation to examine the feasibility of the proposed technology as a potential targeted cancer treatment platform.