"RRI Scientists Use Thermal Shocks to Control Microgel Drug Release Mechanism"
Microgel
polymer network particle that absorbs large amounts of water and responds to stimuli like temperature.
Jammed system
dense particle suspension that behaves like a solid because particles cannot flow freely.
Conventional drug delivery faces a fundamental problem: most medicines circulate through the entire body, affecting healthy tissue alongside diseased tissue. This causes side effects and limits the dose that can safely be given. Researchers have long sought materials that can carry a drug to a specific site and release it only under the right conditions.
One promising class of materials is hydrogels and their smaller cousins, microgels. These are polymer networks that can absorb large amounts of water. Their physical properties change in response to external stimuli such as temperature, pH, or light. This responsiveness makes them attractive for controlled drug delivery. UPSC has directly tested hydrogel applications in healthcare (2024 Prelims), reflecting the examiner's interest in this material class.
India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) funds a network of autonomous research institutes that work on frontier science. The Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, is one such institute. Its researchers have now published a study in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science that advances understanding of how temperature shocks can control the structural behaviour of microgel suspensions, with direct implications for drug delivery.
The study centres on a phenomenon called structural recovery in jammed systems. A jammed system is a dense suspension of particles so tightly packed that they cannot flow freely. They behave like a solid even though their particles are disordered, much like glass. Glass is the classic example: it has the mechanical properties of a solid but the structural disorder of a liquid.
The microgel particles used in the experiment are made of a polymer that can absorb 300–500 times its own weight in water. This is the same material used in diapers and sanitary napkins. When packed densely, these particles form a jammed, glass-like system. The researchers found that when such a system is heated and then cooled, the path it takes during heating is not the mirror image of the path during cooling. …
In which of the following are hydrogels used?
1.Controlled drug delivery in patients
2.Mobile air-conditioning systems
3.Preparation of industrial lubricants
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
What do you understand by nanotechnology and how is it helping in the health sector?
Consider the following statements regarding microgel particles:
1.They can absorb 300–500 times their own weight in water.
2.They are used in controlled drug delivery by collapsing at a temperature just below normal body temperature.
3.They are a form of hydrogel at the microscale.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
In the context of stimulus-responsive drug delivery using microgels, which of the following best describes the mechanism of drug release at the target site?
Match the following microgel properties with their applications:
Property — Application
1.High water-absorption capacity (300–500× weight) — P. Drug delivery coatings
2.Thermo-responsive collapse at ~34°C — Q. Diapers and sanitary napkins
3.Ability to mimic biological material flexibility — R. Flexible biomedical scaffolds
Which of the following matchings is correct?
With reference to 'jammed systems' in materials science, consider the following statements:
1.A jammed system behaves mechanically like a solid even though its particles are structurally disordered.
2.Glass is a classic example of a jammed system.
3.Applying a thermal shock to a jammed microgel system can temporarily convert it to a liquid-like state by erasing its structural memory.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Want the full note, Prelims Facts & MCQ answers?
Create a free account — takes less than a minute.
Create free account