Researchers at IIT Madras 2020: Great research shows ways to improve efficacy

Researchers at IIT Madras have shown ways in which traditional cancer therapies can be made more effective.

Researchers at IIT Madras studied Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which are highly reactive molecules such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals that are used in many common cancer therapies including chemotherapy.

Researchers at IIT Madras 2020

The observations made by Researchers at IIT Madras show ways to finetune anticancer therapies for better outcomes.

The Researchers at IIT Madras was led by Prof G.K. Suraishkumar and Professor D. Karunagaran, Faculty, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

The recent work of these Researchers at IIT Madras has been published in Springer-Nature’s prestigious peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports.

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The research paper of these Researchers at IIT Madras was co-authored by Professor Suraishkumar, Professor Karunagaran and Research Scholars, Ms. Uma Kizhuveetil and Ms. Sonal Omer.

This work done by Researchers at IIT Madras was financially supported by a grant from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

Speaking about the work of Researchers at IIT Madras Professor G.K. Suraishkumar said reactive oxygen species are molecules that are generated in the body during normal functioning and are associated with many metabolic processes.

The regulation of these species is important because if there is excess produced, it can cause oxidative stress and damage to the cells, resulting in inflammation and various diseases, he said.

Further, Professor Suresh Kumar who led the Researchers at IIT Madras said despite the known damaging effects of ROS, they can be used to destroy cells that we do not want – such as cancer cells.

Indeed, common cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, are based on the action of ROS generated by the drug on cancer cells, he said.

In the human body, antioxidant molecules are generated to moderate the levels of ROS present in the body, to prevent oxidative damage.

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To optimize ROS-generating cancer treatment and counter-treatments, oxidative stress is often assessed through measurement of the antioxidant levels in the cells.

The Researchers at IIT Madras studied the effects of two reactive-oxygen-species generating compounds – menadione (Vitamin K3) and curcumin (the active principle of turmeric) – on cells of cervical and colon cancers.

Researchers at IIT Madras made two interesting observations in their work. The team of Researchers at IIT Madras has shown that the effective ROS levels vary rhythmically in the cell upon being treated with menadione or curcumin.

Thus, the timing of administration of the anti-cancer drugs can affect its effectiveness.

This means that by judiciously designing the time of administration of the ROS-generating anti-cancer drug, we can enhance cancer cell death by as much as 27 per cent, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the treatment.

Researchers at IIT Madras are collaborating with cancer hospitals to try our ‘simple timing’ strategy to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment, said Professor Suraishkumar.

Another interesting observation by Researchers at IIT Madras have made is that cellular antioxidant levels do not reflect the effective ROS level in the cell.

Our observations make us wonder if using antioxidant levels to decide the therapy parameters is less useful than generally believed, said Professor Suraishkumar.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’ The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.

The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations. IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students.

Students from 18 countries are enrolled here. IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell. 

IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the second consecutive year in India Ranking 2020 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India.

The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the Engineering Institutions category in the same Rankings for five consecutive years – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2019 launched by Innovation Cell of MHRD.