IIT Guwahati to set up Centre for Advanced Research on Diagnostics in Cancer

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati celebrated its 29th Foundation Day on 1st September 2022 by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Karkinos Healthcare Private Limited (KHPL) for research collaboration on Cancer Diagnostics.

The MoU was signed between Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati and Mr. R Venkataramanan, Chief Executive Officer, Karkinos Healthcare.

Under the agreement, a Centre of Advanced Research on Diagnostics in Cancer (C-CARD), a first of its kind in the nation with an IIT, will be set up at IIT Guwahati. The centre will be equipped and operated by KHPL at the IIT Guwahati premises for its establishment. The primary aim of this centre is to work on research related to advanced and affordable diagnostics solutions for non-communicable diseases, primarily Cancer for patients from across the nation.

Speaking during the MoU signing event Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati, said, “IIT Guwahati aspires to strengthen its Research & Development arsenal and there is no better way to highlight the same in establishing C-CARD by KHPL, in the heart of our institute. In near future, we envision extending this Centre of Excellence with the activities of Assam Advanced Healthcare Innovation Institute – the upcoming multi-specialty hospital at IIT Guwahati to inculcate next-generation scientific and technological innovations in the area of healthcare”

“I sincerely thank Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the State Government for their trust in making IIT Guwahati as one of the major knowledge and technology partners in the immediate future.”, added Prof. Sitharam during his address.

The MoU signing was a part of the 29^th Foundation Day celebration of IIT Guwahati in which both the signing authorities will collaborate on initiatives including:

♦ A large-scale OncoDiagnostic services in conjunction with Assam Cancer Care Hospitals across the state to prepare a comprehensive cancer atlas for North-East

♦ Establishment of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) facilities to identify the India specific hereditary origin of this giant killer

♦ Capability development on high end data analytics using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques

♦ High quality informatics for research and development through comprehensive genomic landscape identification

♦ Capacity development through academic collaboration on clinical excellence

♦ Partnerships with biotech and pharma majors

As a part of this initiative, in the near future, IIT Guwahati and KHPL will also collaborate on research projects related to Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genomics, Proteomics, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Entrepreneurship Development and other multi-disciplinary and translational areas.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. R. Venkataramanan, Chief Executive Officer, Karkinos Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. said, “The State of Assam has made giant strides in Cancer care under the visionary leadership on Hon’ble CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. Karkinos is pleased to further these efforts and partner with IIT Guwahati in bringing the cutting-edge cancer diagnostics and advanced research to the people of North East. We see this as the first phase of a long and wide-ranging partnership that will redefine cancer care in the region and beyond.”

IIT Guwahati aims to work tirelessly for the development of North East region. In this direction, the Institute has collaborated with multiple academic and research bodies of the state to resolve diverse technological issues such as water, education, healthcare and energy problems, flood management, mitigate acid mine drainage in coal mines, to name a few. The Institute’s recent collaboration to establish C-CARD is another addition to fulfil this vision.