THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major achievement for Kerala’s higher education sector, a patented chemical compound developed by researchers at College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET) has been commercially licensed for advanced drug research, raising hopes for the development of an affordable anti-cancer medicine in the future.
The research was led by Annette Fernandez, adjunct faculty member and former head of the department of chemistry at CET, who has been actively involved in studies on the anti-cancer properties of compounds derived from natural sources. She was assisted by Arunkumar B, presently assistant professor at TKM Engineering College, Kollam, and Shiny P Laila of University College, Thiruvananthapuram. Both were research scholars in CET’s department of chemistry when the invention was made.
The researchers extracted quinones from the medicinal plant ‘koduveli’ (Plumbago indica) and introduced fluorine substitution to develop the new compound, which demonstrated potential to serve as a lead molecule for further drug discovery. The patent was granted after the successful completion of investigations into the compound’s synthesis methodology, physicochemical characteristics and biological properties.
The entire research was carried out within Kerala by utilising the limited facilities at CET along with advanced laboratories at premier national institutes such as Indian Institute of Science Education and Research and National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology. Laboratory tests on mice were conducted at Amala Cancer Research Centre.
Although the patent for the compound was secured in 2022, it took nearly three more years for the invention to be licensed to a commercial entity. “We approached various agencies for licensing, but the attempts did not materialise. CET then issued a public notification inviting applications from institutions interested in obtaining a licence to pursue further research,” Annette said.
After obtaining permission from the directorate of technical education and the government, the licence for pursuing advanced research on the compound was awarded to Junu Healthcare Pharma, a startup based in the state. The development marked the first instance in which a patent licence was granted by an institution functioning under Kerala’s higher education department.
The pharmaceutical company now aims to build upon the foundational research carried out at CET and undertake advanced studies to develop an effective anti-cancer drug, potentially contributing to affordable and innovative cancer therapeutics.
