MUMBAI, India, Aug. 10 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202611074307 A) filed by K. R. Mangalam University on June 15, 2026, for Selective Microbiome-Compatible Metal Oxide Nanoparticles With Tunable Pathogen-Specific Toxicity.
Inventors include Dr. Mahipal Singh Sankhla; Dr. Baljeet Yadav; Prof. Dr. Garima Awasthi; and Prof. Dr. Kumud Kant Awasthi.
The application for the patent was published on July 31, 2026, under issue no. 31/2026.
Abstract: The present invention relates to antimicrobial nanomaterials. Conventional metal oxide nanoparticles are non-selectively toxic and damage beneficial microbiota along with pathogens, disrupting microbiome balance. The invention provides a microbiome-compatible composition of functionalised nanoparticles (200), each having a metal oxide core (202) of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and a biocompatible polymeric coating (204) of chitosan or polyethylene glycol providing surface functional groups (206) and a controlled net surface charge. The coating density and surface charge are set so that the nanoparticle binds preferentially to pathogenic cells, directing reactive oxygen species and metal-ion release to pathogens while sparing beneficial microbes. A method (300) of preparation and a non-therapeutic method (400) of selectively inhibiting pathogens in a medium are also provided. The antimicrobial toxicity and selectivity are tunable through the surface chemistry.
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