Deepak S. Chauhan

Research Topics

My research interests are rooted in advancing photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer treatment, building upon my extensive background and expertise in this field. Photothermal therapy entails the use of light-absorbing agents, which upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) light, generate heat to selectively ablate cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. With a PhD focused on PTT, I have specialized in the synthesis, characterization, and preclinical application of diverse polymeric and lipid-based photothermal agents. Moreover, having navigated the regulatory landscape, I have fulfilled the requirements for a Phase I clinical trial in India, underscoring my commitment to translating research findings into clinical practice.

During the later stages of my PhD and early postdoctoral training, I delved into combinatorial therapies, particularly the integration of PTT with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, to augment treatment efficacy. My postdoctoral tenure at Universite de Montreal under the mentorship of Prof. Banquy afforded me insights into tuning photothermal agents to the near-infrared second (NIR-II) window, thus enabling deeper penetration into solid tumors. Alongside developing photothermal agents from FDA-approved polymers like poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and polylactic acid, I also worked on soft polymers such as bottle-brush, which facilitated the formation of nanoaster-shaped NIR-II photothermal agents. This approach allowed for tuning the absorbance peak of photothermal agents by altering the chain length of the bottle brush polymer. Also, bottle brush-based photothermal agents offer a tremendous surface area for the functionalization of different therapeutic and imaging modalities. Currently, both studies are undergoing animal trials. Furthermore, Dr.Banquy aided me in developing skills for loading and delivering macrophage-polarizing immunomodulators on laser irradiation. 

Additionally, through collaboration with Dr. Umeshappa at Dalhousie University, I explored the synergistic potential of combining photothermal therapy with immunotherapy for treating metastatic cancer and non-reachable sites. Dr. Umeshappa provided guidance in developing T-cell receptor-functionalized photothermal agents to enhance the specificity of photothermal agents and reduce side effects. His mentorship also assisted me in loading immunomodulators not only into polymeric nanoparticles but also liposomes.

Leveraging all my experience during PhD and postdocs, my future research endeavors will focus on further refining PTT techniques and combining them with immunotherapy.

Research Interests:

Photothermal therapy, photoimmunotherapy, drug delivery, immunotherapy, solid tumors, plasmonic nanoparticles.

Education:

BSc, Chemistry, University of Allahabad, 2009

MSc-PhD, Biomedical engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 2019

Selected Publications:

Full bibliography on Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=evmxk70AAAAJ&hl=en

D.S. Chauhan, A.B. Bukhari, G. Ravichandran, R. Gupta, L. George, R. Poojari, A. Ingle, A.K. Rengan, A. Shanavas, R. Srivastava, Enhanced EPR directed and Imaging guided photothermal therapy using vitamin E modified toco-photoxil, Sci Rep, 8 (2018) 16673.

D.S. Chauhan, P. Arunkumar, R. Prasad, S.K. Mishra, B.P.K. Reddy, A. De, R. Srivastava, Facile synthesis of plasmonic zein nanoshells for imaging-guided photothermal cancer therapy, Materials Science and Engineering: C, 90 (2018) 539-548.

D.S. Chauhan, B.P.K. Reddy, S.K. Mishra, R. Prasad, M. Dhanka, M. Vats, G. Ravichandran, D. Poojari, O. Mhatre, A. De, Comprehensive evaluation of degradable and cost-effective plasmonic nanoshells for localized photothermolysis of cancer cells, Langmuir, 35 (2019) 7805-7815.

D.S. Chauhan, R. Prasad, J. Devrukhkar, K. Selvaraj, R. Srivastava, Disintegrable NIR light triggered gold nanorods supported liposomal nanohybrids for cancer theranostics, Bioconjugate chemistry, 29 (2017) 1510-1518.

D.S. Chauhan, M.K. Kumawat, R. Prasad, P.K. Reddy, M. Dhanka, S.K. Mishra, R. Bahadur, S. Neekhra, A. De, R. Srivastava, Plasmonic carbon nanohybrids for repetitive and highly localized photothermal cancer therapy, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 172 (2018) 430-439.

Selected awards:

• I3V-DMRF Dr. David H. Hubel Postdoctoral Fellowship 2023-2025
• IWK Postdoctoral Fellowship 2023-2025
• Sara Borrell Postdoctoral Fellowship by European Union, Spain, 2020-2023
• TransMedTech Excellence Fellowship, Canada 2021-2023
• FRQS Postdoctoral Fellowship for other countries, Canada, 2021-2023
• Institute Best Thesis Award 2019 (with highest score)
• Cancer Research Foundation India, Award 2018
• UNESCO-Poland Fellowship, 2016

Patents

• TPGS comprised gold coated poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanostructures and a process for its preparation, IPA No. 4082/MUM/2015; Date of Filing: 28/10/2015, Patent No. 354678 (Granted)
• Near infra-red hybrid nanomaterials and graphene oxide for theranostic applications, IPA No. 4747/MUM/2015; Date of filing: 18/12/2015; Patent No. 339645; (Granted)
• Near infra-red responsive thermosensitive nanoshells and process for making the same, IPA No. 201621009168; Date of Filing: 21 Sep 2016; Patent No. 377864 (Granted)
• Zein-gold nanoshells and applications thereof, IPA No. 201621019949; Date of filing: 10/06/2016; Patent No. 319491; (Granted)
• Dual therapeutic disintegrable GNR-liposome nanohybrid for plasmonic photothermal cancer theragnostic, IPA No. 201721029874; Date of Filing: 23 Aug 2017; Patent No. 345343 (Granted)
• Biodegradable fluorescent liposomal nanocomposites and method of preparation thereof IPA No. 201821020431; Date of Filing: 31 May 2018; Patent No. 372447 (Granted)
• Fluorescent gold nanorods and method of preparation thereof IPA No. 201821022488; Date of Filing: 15 Jun 2018, Patent No. 350710 (Granted)
• Polycaprolactone based plasmonic nanoshells and applications thereof, IPA No. 201821029776; Date of Filing: 08 Aug 2018, Patent No. 359768 (Granted)
• Fluorescent hollow mesoporous silica and method of preparation thereof, IPA No. 201821022718; Date of Filing: 18 Jun 2018; Patent No. 350710 (Granted)
• Biocompatible Gold Nanoparticles and method of synthesis thereof, Patent No. 438420; Date of Filing: 27 Aug. 2020 (Granted)
• A microwave-assisted hydrothermal method for synthesis of fluorescent carbon spheres, Patent No. 441538, Date of Filing: 28 Aug. 2020 (Granted)