In a major stride in academic research, the Department of Chemistry at Assam University, Silchar, has secured its inaugural patent for a groundbreaking invention: organic photosynthesis, celebrated for its potential as an anti-HIV agent.
Assam University’s Chemistry Department makes breakthrough with Anti-HIV Organic Photosynthesis
Spearheaded by Dr Devashish Sengupta and his team in collaboration with the Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at the South Asian University in New Delhi, this innovation targets and effectively destroys the HIV virus under photodynamic conditions, regardless of its DNA or RNA composition. Dr. Sengupta emphasized the dual impact of their discovery, not only offering promising avenues for HIV treatment but also addressing the heightened risk of cancer among HIV patients due to prolonged drug regimens.
Furthermore, the team’s scalable method for synthesizing water-soluble fullerene-meso-tris-carboxyphenyl porphyrin dyads has shown remarkable efficacy in hindering the entry and replication of HIV-1 subtypes B and C. Dr. Sengupta underscored the significance of this patent in potentially revolutionizing anti-cancer treatments for HIV patients, pending in vivo studies on primates.
This patent stands as a testament to Assam University‘s burgeoning reputation as an incubator for cutting-edge research, with Prof. Piyush Pandey, the IQAC coordinator, noting it as one of over 16 patents awarded to the university in the past three years. Prof. Rajive Mohan Pant, the university’s vice-chancellor, commended Dr. Sengupta and his team for their remarkable achievement, recognizing it as a cornerstone in safeguarding the university’s intellectual property and advancing scientific innovation.
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