Curcumin is the medicinal chemical present in turmeric. Their work has recently been published in an international journal, Crystal Growth & Design. It is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Chemical Society.

Turmeric has been used as a food item in India for centuries, not merely as a condiment but also as a medicinal material.

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Thus, curcumin is considered a potential drug for a variety of illnesses including cancer, cardiovascular problems and neurodegenerative disorders.

Despite promise and the extensive use of turmeric in alternative and lifestyle therapies, the development of mainstream drugs based on curcumin has been hindered by a few problems.

Curcumin, in its natural form, is insoluble in water, which makes it less bioavailable and hence difficult for the drug to reach the tissues and cells in which they are needed.

IIT Mandi researchers develop a new route

Thus, the incorporation of curcumin in drugs depends on increasing the water solubility of the compound and enhancing its stability and bioavailability.

IIT Mandi researchers develop a new route

IIT Mandi researchers develop a new route – Dr. Siril and his team identified the reason for the water insolubility of curcumin. Curcumin, in its natural crystalline form, is poorly soluble in water, he explains.

Solid-state phase transformation of such molecules to the relatively less stable and more aqueous soluble amorphous form is a well-adapted formulation technique in pharmaceutical research, he said.

But the solution is not as simple as that. Amorphous materials tend to crystallise over time, which brings back the original problem, said Dr. Siril. To overcome this, the IIT Mandi team combined two approaches.

The researchers used Indomethacin, a well-known nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug to precipitate along with curcumin in order to stabilize it in amorphous form.

IIT Mandi researchers develop a new route

The combination is expected to have the therapeutic benefits of both curcumin as well as Indomethacin.

Additionally, they coated each tiny particle (nanoparticle) of Co-amorphous curcumin and indomethacin with a natural polymer called chitosan, which is extracted from shells of shrimps and other crustaceans.

The chitosan generate a hydrophobic (water repellent) covering around curcumin nanoparticles and prevent it from sticking to each other and forming crystals.

These two approaches improve two major problems aqueous stability and solubility” of curcumin and introduce an additional pH (Potential of Hydrogen) responsive release behaviour to the formulation.

This is expected to increase the chances of direct nanoparticle absorption through the intestine after oral intake and safe delivery of curcumin to the required site with minimal aqueous exposure.

The formulation did not recrystalise even after a whole year, said Ms. Kajal. These effects have been found to be a result of the intermolecular interactions between the curcumin, indomethacin and chitosan.

Our research shows that curcumin can indeed be incorporated into stable drug formulations for better therapeutic efficacy, said Dr. Siril, on the implications of their findings.

About IIT Mandi
Since the first batch of 97 students joined in July 2009, IIT Mandi has grown to currently host 125 faculty and 1,655 students who are enrolled in various programmes of studies in undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes, and 1,141 alumni.

IIT Mandi is a fully residential campus with 1.4 lakh sq. m. buildings completed. It has a guest house with 88 rooms, an 750-seater Auditorium, campus school, sports complex and hospital.

IIT Mandi researchers develop a new route

IIT Mandi has four Academic Schools and three major Research Centers. The Schools are: School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, School of Engineering, and School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Centers are: Advanced Materials Research Centre (AMRC; set up with an investment of Rs. 60 crore), Centre for Design and Fabrication of Electrical Devices (C4DFED; has Rs. 50 crore worth of fabrication tools), and BioX Centre (has acquired research equipment worth Rs. 15 crore).

In 2017, the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, selected IIT Mandi to lead the prestigious Rs. 10 crore FarmerZone Project.

To cater to the growing and changing needs of Indian industry and the aspirations of students, IIT Mandi has introduced 7 B.Tech., 7 M.Tech., 5 M.Sc., 4 Ph.D., 1 I-Ph.D and 1 M.A programmes in the past 10 years.

The unique, project-oriented B.Tech. curriculum is centered around its 4-year long Design and Innovation stream. From August 2019, IIT Mandi started 3 new and unique B. Tech. programmes in Data Science and Engineering, Engineering Physics, and Dual Degree in Bioengineering.

The schedule to submit applications for JEE Advanced 2025 has been announced along with that of AAT 2025 registration,

Application process for AAT starts after result declaration of JEE Advanced. This year too, the trend is no different.

Who will conduct AAT 2025?

AAT 2025 will be conducted by IIT Kanpur and is expected to see a participation in impressive numbers. The same institution is conducting JEE Advanced 2025.

Details about the exam are available on the official website mentioned above. Students who pass AAT 2025 will be able to study BArch in IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur and IIT (BHU) Varnasi.

Who can take up AAT 2025 registration?

Students who have passed JEE Advanced 2025 with required qualifying marks can take up AAT 2025 registration. Applying for JEE Advanced requires a pass in JEE Mains.

Candidates who have passed plus two with maths, physics and chemistry as subjects will be able to take up JEE Mains registration. The process to take up JEE Advanced AAT 2025 registration is online.

1. The URL has to be typed into the browser and the webpage has to be allowed to download.

2. Once the website is available, students should click the link for JEE Advanced AAT 2025 registration and enter JEE Advanced 2025 registration number, their date of birth, mobile number and email address.

3. Post providing the above details, applicants will be asked if they are interested in AAT. Students have to answer ‘Yes’ to take up JEE Advanced AAT 2025 registration.

4. Candidates have to provide the required information and choose the centers where they wish to write the exam and submit the form.

5. They will receive message indicating successful completion of JEE Advanced AAT 2025 registration.

The message has to be downloaded and a printout of it has to be taken and preserved for use in future. This could be of use during the admission process.

Website for JEE Advanced 2025/AAT 2025 Registration is Here

Exam pattern

Candidates who have completed JEE Advanced AAT 2025 registration must also know the exam pattern if they are to score good marks.

Those who have taken up AAT 2025 registration can take up the exam which will be held in offline mode, as a pen and paper mode test.

Candidates will have three hours time to answer all the questions. The medium of the test is English.

The sections in the question paper are – Imagination and aesthetic sensitivity, three dimensional perception, Geometrical drawing, Freehand drawing and Architectural Awareness.

Syllabus for AAT 2025

The next thing to do after completing AAT 2025 registration is focus on preparing for the test.

The subjects to be studied while preparing for AAT 2025 are mentioned below. Candidates can also refer the official website for more information on syllabus when the registration for the exam begins:

Geometrical Drawing

Exercises in geometrical drawing containing lines, angles, triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, circles, etc. Study of plan (top view), elevation (front or side views) of simple solid objects like prisms, cones, cylinders, cubes, splayed surface holders, etc.

Freehand Drawing

This would comprise of simple drawing depicting the total object in its right form and proportion, surface texture, relative location and details of its component parts in appropriate scale.

Common domestic or day-to-day life usable objects like furniture, equipment, etc., from memory.

Three dimension perception

Understanding and appreciation of three-dimensional forms with building elements, colour, volume and orientation. Visualization through structuring objects in memory.

Architectural Awareness

General interest and awareness of famous architectural creations – both national and international, places and personalities (architects, designers, etc.) in the related domain.

Imagination and Aesthetic Sensitivity

Composition exercise with given elements. Context mapping.

Creativity check through innovative uncommon test with familiar objects. Sense of colour grouping or application.

The medium of the test is English. The sections in the question paper are – Imagination and aesthetic sensitivity, three dimensional perception, Geometrical drawing, Freehand drawing and Architectural Awareness.

The admit cards obtained for JEE Advanced 2025 can also be used to gain entry into the test centers for AAT 2024.

Point to remember

Candidates can visit the official website of JEE Advanced exam for more information on JEE Advanced AAT 2025 registration and other related topics.

The students have to quickly take up the AAT 2025 registration as the time left would be very short.

Like JEE Advanced exam where the registration is open for a longer duration, that of AAT 2025 registration is open for only a short period.

The details about AAT 2025 registration provided above are for general understanding purpose of the students.

There could be some changes in the exam, students can visit the official website of the exam at regular intervals to receive updates.

More information could be provided as the time for AAT 2025 registration would commence, till that time, students can refer other sources also.

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