"At this point though, it is too early to talk in terms of specific diseases," he said.

To design this nanovehicle, Mozumdar, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Delhi, said the researchers "simultaneously modified the surface of the nanovehicle with 'drugs' and 'tissue-specific molecules' to target the nanovehicle to the diseased tissue".

"We have successfully used the nanovehicle to deliver a model drug to the liver," Mozumdar said.

Appearing in the journal AAPS PharmSciTech, published by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the study revealed that "the nanovehicle specifically targets the diseased tissue, thereby reducing the side effects of the drug". Another benefit of this is that the "therapeutic efficacy of the drug is substantially increased as the entire drug is delivered to the diseased tissue alone".

Highlighting the significance of the finding, Omid Farokhzad, professor at Harvard Medical School, said: "Targeting the drug molecule specifically to the diseased tissue without affecting the healthy tissues remains a formidable challenge. Targeted and responsive nanotechnology platforms such as those developed in this study can in principle achieve that goal in an elegant manner."

According to the study, "the estimated cost of synthesising the nanovehicle is only about $1 per mg, a very cost-effective solution."

And the researchers believe that once the efficacy and safety of the technology are established in animal studies and human trials, the technology could be available in clinics within a decade.

"Mozumdar and I have plans to launch a startup company to advance such goals in the future," De said.

"With opportunities opening up every day in India, I hope our dream will become a reality," De noted.

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