CHANDIGARH: Panjab University (PU) researchers Dr. Sandip V. Pawar, Assistant Professor at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), and his PhD Research Scholar at PU Khushboo Pathania, (CSIR-Senior Research Fellow), have filed a patent for a pioneering biotechnology invention aimed at advancing cancer research. Titled “Magnetic Lignin-Derived Nano-Constructs for 3D Cell Culturing” (Publication No. 26/2025), the patent has been officially published by the Indian Patent Office.
It also marks an international collaboration with Dr. Vikramaditya Yadav of the University of British Columbia, Canada, enhancing the interdisciplinary approach of the research.
This innovation introduces lignin-iron oxide nano-constructs that enable magnetic levitation-based 3D cell culture—an eco-friendly, scalable alternative to traditional two-dimensional (2D) methods. By more accurately mimicking the natural tumor microenvironment, the 3D cell culture system offers a transformative platform for cancer biology studies and drug testing, particularly in breast cancer research.