Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has developed new cost-effective drug asparaginase (MASPAR) using a protein engineering approach for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
The drug with no or fewer side effects has been developed after 12 years of research.
Leukaemia is a type of blood cancer and every year around 25000 new cases are found in India. The percentage of children among the patients is nearly one fourth.
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The repeated doses of asparaginase, which is currently used to treat all patients, can cause serious allergic reactions, hypersensitivity, and toxicity to the pancreas including many other organs.
In such a situation, this medicine will benefit the patients to a great extent. The medicine will also be of great use to the patients who recover and are again affected by the disease.
