Nano medicine society launched, will slash treatment cost

New Delhi: Aiming to intensify contribution in the field of Nano medicine, India on Thursday launched a first-of-its-kind Indian Society of Nano Medicine (ISNM).

ISNM is an initiative which will bring several Indian nano technology researchers together and use it for slashing high cost of medicines, provide customised treatment and improve diagnostics.

It's biggest advantage to the Indian medicine system is precise cancer treatment, which means nano technology will be used to destroy cancerous cells without harming healthy cells at a less cost.

Members of the new forum will be from various fields, such as eminent health care providers, engineers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and nano science researchers, among others, who have been researching on nano science for almost a decade.

"Apart from providing targeted delivery, nano drugs will also help in lowering the cost as dosage will reduce from milligrams to nanograms with less side effects," Amit Dinda, Secretary of ISNM and Professor of Pathology at AIIMS, told IANS.

The society, launched during an event held at the AIIMS will have Professor Y.K. Gupta of AIIMS as the first President of the new forum. 

He said that though India ranks third in terms of publications on Nano Sciences, it was behind several nations in terms of using it in the field of medicine.

"Through this we will be able to use nano medicine, bringing all scientists working in the field of nano medicine on one platform," said Dinda.

The ISNM will also see collaborations in future with American Society of Nano Medicine and similar societies from other countries as well.

"We will solve the challenge of patient treatment in various ways through this initiative," he said.

According to medical science, Nano particles can help deliver drugs directly to the diseased cells, reducing the damage which other methods like chemotherapy do to healthy cells.

"The platform will give members an opportunity to closely interact with peers in the field of nano medicine with particular emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the contacts between innovators and physicians focusing on clinical application," Dinda noted.

According to the government statistics, Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated for research on the use of nano technology.