Panjab University has been granted US Patent No. 12,599,572 for 'Solid Lipid Nanoparticles of Curcumin,' a technology developed by Prof. Indu Pal Kaur and her team to improve curcumin delivery and absorption, assigned to the university.

The patent covers the preparation and composition of solid lipid nanoparticles used to deliver curcumin and is owned by Panjab University.

PU has received a US patent for a technology that enhances curcumin solubility, stability, and absorption, developed by Prof. Indu Pal Kaur and team.

Animal studies suggest potential applications in inflammation, pain, arthritis, wound healing, and oral health, but human efficacy remains unproven.

The technology offers practical benefits such as protection from light and pH degradation, a controlled release up to nine days, and compatibility with spray-drying or freeze-drying, with manufacturing based on scalable high-pressure homogenisation.

The CurcuAukhadh platform combines curcumin with traditional Indian medicine concepts and is being developed into convenient forms, including an oral shot and water-dispersible sachets, with flavor optimization for acceptability.

The technology is planned for licensing and commercial development, with related patent applications in Europe and Canada under examination.

PU leadership, led by Vice-Chancellor Prof Meenakshi Goyal, frames the work as aligning with national development goals and Viksit Bharat, aiming to translate lab research into social and economic value.

Next steps involve commercialization through licensing and scale-up, with IPK Labs and CasaNova R&D Pvt Ltd leading partnerships under Panjab University’s Entrepreneurship Policy.

The patented formulation protects curcumin from degradation and offers controlled release, with a scalable manufacturing process based on high-pressure homogenisation.

NRDC-supported studies report up to a 900-fold increase in relative bioavailability of curcumin with the nanoparticle formulation, and a second patent-filed technology increases loading by 1.5–2x and enables water-dispersible sachet granules with about 890-fold bioavailability improvement when dispersed.

An NRDC-supported project produced a 20-ml oral curcumin nanoparticle formulation showing more than 900-fold higher bioavailability in tested conditions.