Rational Design of Magnetically-Responsive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

Jointly Funded by the Bilateral Mobility Program between NTNU and IIT Madras

This joint mobility project, carried out under the Joint-Funded Bilateral Mobility Programme (JFBMP) between IIT Madras and NTNU, brought together the research groups of Prof. Ethayaraja Mani (IIT Madras) and Assoc. Prof. Sulalit Bandyopadhyay (NTNU) to investigate how magnetically responsive polymeric nanoparticles (PMNPs) formed during flash nanoprecipitation (FNP), with the goal of producing small, uniform particles with controllable magnetic properties for targeted drug delivery.

The NTNU team synthesized PLGA nanoparticles encapsulating iron oxide nanoparticles of varying sizes, studying how encapsulation efficiency was shaped by polymer properties and precipitation conditions. In parallel, the IIT Madras team modelled the phase separation and nucleation of PLGA using the Cahn-Hilliard equation and population balance modelling, validating their predictions against the experimental results to build a fuller picture of nanoparticle formation.

Running from February 2025 to January 2026, the project supported PhD student mobility between the two institutions and strengthened a long-standing partnership already marked by joint publications and participation in the Erasmus Global mobility programme, laying the groundwork for future collaboration in research, teaching, and commercialization.