This article describes the development and characterization of nanocurcumin, a novel formulation of curcumin encapsulated within polymeric nanoparticles. Curcumin, a yellow polyphenol extracted from turmeric, has shown potent anti-cancer properties in various human cancer cell lines and animal models. However, its poor aqueous solubility and low systemic bioavailability have limited its clinical application. To address these issues, the authors synthesized polymeric nanoparticles using cross-linked and random copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP), and poly(ethyleneglycol) monoacrylate (PEG-A). The nanoparticles, with a narrow size distribution in the 50 nm range, effectively dispersed curcumin in aqueous media. In vitro studies demonstrated that nanocurcumin exhibited comparable therapeutic efficacy to free curcumin against a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines, as assessed by cell viability and clonogenicity assays. Additionally, nanocurcumin induced apoptosis, blocked nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) activation, and downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα) in pancreatic cancer cells. The authors concluded that nanocurcumin provides a promising strategy for expanding the clinical application of curcumin by enabling its aqueous dispersion, and future studies are warranted to further evaluate its efficacy in pre-clinical and clinical settings.This article describes the development and characterization of nanocurcumin, a novel formulation of curcumin encapsulated within polymeric nanoparticles. Curcumin, a yellow polyphenol extracted from turmeric, has shown potent anti-cancer properties in various human cancer cell lines and animal models. However, its poor aqueous solubility and low systemic bioavailability have limited its clinical application. To address these issues, the authors synthesized polymeric nanoparticles using cross-linked and random copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP), and poly(ethyleneglycol) monoacrylate (PEG-A). The nanoparticles, with a narrow size distribution in the 50 nm range, effectively dispersed curcumin in aqueous media. In vitro studies demonstrated that nanocurcumin exhibited comparable therapeutic efficacy to free curcumin against a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines, as assessed by cell viability and clonogenicity assays. Additionally, nanocurcumin induced apoptosis, blocked nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) activation, and downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα) in pancreatic cancer cells. The authors concluded that nanocurcumin provides a promising strategy for expanding the clinical application of curcumin by enabling its aqueous dispersion, and future studies are warranted to further evaluate its efficacy in pre-clinical and clinical settings.