Two Madras University PhD scholars win awards for their dissertations on biological applications of nanotechnology

Shalini Thomas and Elakkiya Krishnamoorthy, PhD scholars from the National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Madras (UoM), have won awards for outstanding PhD theses at a recently held international conference in Ropar, Punjab.

Their theses were based on research in deriving different products by changing the composition and structure of calcium phosphate-based materials in biogenic hydroxyapatite, the component in bones and teeth that gives them their hardness. Dr. Shalini created a haemostatic sponge that can accelerate clotting, bringing the clotting time down to less than a minute, while Dr. Elakkiya’s research work centred on deriving a bioactive glass that can be used to replace eroded enamel layer on teeth within a few applications. Their products have several other bio applications as well.

“The haemostatic sponge can have excellent use in cases of accidents, while the bioactive glass can be an answer to teeth-trouble suffered by many due to loss of enamel,” said S. Balakumar, Lab Head, National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, UoM. With their research outcomes, it would now be possible to produce a scaffold or any other suitable material necessary for medical intervention in bones and teeth within half a day, once their porosity and structural details have been studied. “These products are indigenously created and could have a huge impact on regenerative engineering in the country,” he observed.

After success in the laboratory, Dr. Shalini is now attempting to create a haemostatic sponge the size of an A4 sheet for real-time testing. Dr. Elakkiya’s different products, on the other hand, can be used for different functions, like reducing infection or ensuring faster growth. While Dr. Shalini’s research had support from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Research Fund, Dr. Elakkiya’s work was supported by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, Department of Science and Technology.

The duo has now joined the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, as part of the ANRF National Post-Doctoral Fellowship. “I want to continue research on biomaterial base for some time,” Dr. Elakkiya said. After the two-year fellowship, she would prefer to join a start-up company to gain experience and exposure to the industry. After passing out of the government school in Panruti, her hometown, she joined the Chettinad Academy of Research and Education for graduate study before moving to UoM for post-graduate and PhD.

Dr. Shalini joined the same institution after her schooling in Chennai. She said she always wanted to go into research when she came across the allied sciences and found the concepts interesting. At IIT Madras, her work involves research in replacement of tissues in the spinal dura.