Indian researchers develops a new skin gel “poly-Oxime”

Indian researchers have developed a new skin gel “poly-Oxime” that inhibits the absorption of the most commonly used pesticides such as Organophosphorous compounds, that can cause serious ill effects on health and, in worst cases, result in the death of pesticide handlers such as farmers. The ‘poly-Oxime’ does not act like a physical barrier but like a catalyst to deactivate organophosphate. The gel has been prepared by researchers at Bangalore-based Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem) from a nucleophilic polymer. The 13-member team led by Dr. Praveen Kumar Vemula have formulated and patented the poly-Oxime gel made of chemically modified chitosan — found in the shells of crustaceans such as lobsters, crabs and shrimps. The gel deactivates these chemicals, preventing them from going deep into the skin and organs like the brain and the lungs. It has been found to be effective in tests done in rats and researchers hope to soon test it in humans.