PU secures Rs 86 lakh ICMR grant for research on light-activated bandages for skin cancer treatment

Chandigarh, November 13, 2026: Panjab University (PU) has secured a grant of Rs 86 lakh from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to develop a metallosurfactant-based formulation for potential use in light-activated therapeutic bandages for localised skin cancer treatment.
The project has been sanctioned under the ICMR Small Extramural Grants (ICMR ANVESHAN Extramural Grants) 2026 programme of the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Dr Gurpreet Kaur of the Department of Chemistry, PU, is the Principal Investigator, while Dr Simran Preet of the Department of Biophysics is the Co-Principal Investigator.
The research will focus on developing a Metallosurfactant-Based Formulation (MBF) for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), an approach that uses light-sensitive compounds activated by light to target cancer cells. The proposed formulation is intended for incorporation into a therapeutic bandage that could be activated using visible light to facilitate localised treatment.
The approach could offer a means of delivering treatment directly to affected skin areas while limiting exposure of surrounding healthy tissues. If successfully developed and validated, the light-activated bandage could have potential as a localised treatment platform for skin cancer and may offer scope for further development of targeted drug delivery systems. However, its safety and therapeutic effectiveness will need to be established through further preclinical studies and subsequent clinical evaluation.
The research team will investigate the formulation’s therapeutic efficacy, study its mechanism of action, optimise treatment parameters and assess its suitability for further preclinical development. Dr Simran Preet will lead the in-vivo evaluation of the formulation against skin cancer using tumour models already developed by her research group.
Dr Gurpreet Kaur is a recipient of the DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award and has over two decades of research experience in physical chemistry, specialising in metallosurfactants and their self-assembled nanostructures. Her research covers applications in drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, antimicrobial activity, green hydrogen production, microbial fuel cells and corrosion inhibition.
She has published over 120 research papers, which have received more than 3,100 citations. She has an h-index of 30 and holds multiple granted Indian patents, including patents relating to metallosome assemblies and photosensitiser-encapsulating metallocatanionic vesicles.
The ICMR-funded project builds on her research group’s work on metallosurfactant-based drug delivery systems and photodynamic therapy. The collaboration between the Departments of Chemistry and Biophysics is expected to combine formulation development with biological evaluation to examine the feasibility of the proposed technology for potential cancer treatment applications.