Nanomedicine to Shape Next Generation of Precision Healthcare: Jitendra Singh
Dr Jitendra Singh says nanomedicine will drive precision and personalised healthcare, citing 210 DBT-supported R&D projects worth ₹174 crore.
Nanomedicine will underpin the next generation of precision medicine and personalised healthcare, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said on Monday, while noting that India's indigenous research in the field carries global potential.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the World Congress on Nanomedicine 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, the Minister described nanomedicine as one of the most transformative developments in medical practice. He said the field, which operates at the scale of one-billionth of a metre, could make healthcare increasingly precise and personalised by enabling interventions at the cellular level.
Dr Singh observed that the future of medicine would increasingly involve individualised treatment shaped by a patient's genetic profile, lifestyle, dietary habits and environmental factors, with patients suffering from the same disease potentially requiring different approaches.
He said the Department of Biotechnology is supporting 210 research and development projects in nanomedicine with financial assistance of ₹174 crore. The portfolio spans targeted drug delivery, cancer nanomedicine, infectious-disease nanomedicine, nucleic-acid and vaccine delivery, nano-diagnostics and imaging, regenerative medicine and wound healing, as well as nanotoxicology and regulatory science.
Among the promising areas, the Minister cited oral insulin nanoparticles and nanobots for breast cancer, along with precision nanoinjection and targeted breast cancer nanomedicine. He recalled that earlier attempts at oral insulin were hampered by absorption and digestive enzyme challenges, and said nanotechnology advances could open new ways to address such hurdles.
Beyond laboratory research, Dr Singh said India's nanomedicine ecosystem now extends to start-ups, infrastructure, technology development and regulatory facilitation. Through BIRAC, emerging biotechnology enterprises can access programmes such as the Biotechnology Ignition Grant, Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprise, the Small Business Innovation Research Initiative and the Biotechnology Industry Partnership Programme, helping translate research into products.
He also pointed to a regulatory framework for nanopharmaceuticals developed jointly by DBT, ICMR and CDSCO, which provides a basis for evaluating the safety, quality and efficacy of such products. According to the Minister, India's expanding research base, government support and growing industry engagement position the country to move from adopting emerging technologies to developing its own solutions.
Dr Singh cautioned against excessive reliance on technology in medical practice. While tools such as artificial intelligence and nanotechnology open new possibilities, he said they must complement the clinical judgement of doctors rather than undermine it, and called for reimagining medical teaching so that foundational skills of observation and physical examination remain relevant.
The World Congress on Nanomedicine 2026 is hosted by the Institute of Nano Medical Sciences under the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, and is being organised under the umbrella of the International Society of Nano Medical Sciences and the International Society for Nano Medicine. It has drawn more than 2,000 participants, including scientists and young researchers.
Nobel Laureate Prof Roger D. Kornberg of Stanford University is Chairperson of the Congress, with Prof T.M.S. Chang of McGill University, Canada, as Honorary President. Prof Yogesh Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Delhi, Prof G.P. Talwar, Prof Gobardhan Das of NITI Aayog, Prof Ramesh Chandra and Prof Indrajit Roy were among those present at the inaugural session.
Prof Kornberg described nanomedicine as a young and rapidly evolving field with considerable promise, offering the prospect of delivering the right amount of treatment to the right place at the right time while improving effectiveness and reducing toxicity. Its applications, he said, span drug delivery, diagnosis, imaging and regenerative medicine.