Dr Vijay Chandru, Chairman and CEO, Strand Life Sciences.
BANGALORE, INDIA: Strand Life Sciences, founded by Indian Institute of Science, in partnership with the Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Foundation, has developed a cancer diagnostic kit that can assess the likely occurrence of the chronic disease at one-fourth of the current diagnostic costs.
Bangalore-based Strand, a technology company in the field of genomics, has patented intellectual property to help early detection of breast and ovarian cancer among Indian patients by analyzing DNA sequences. Heredity is a major factor in the recurrence of cancer through generations. Brca I, Brca II, and TP53 are the three genes that can mutate and cause breast or ovarian cancer. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among Indian women with approximately 1.5 lakh new patients being diagnosed every year. Nearly 7 lakh Indians die of some form of cancer every year, while over 10 lakh are newly diagnozed with the disease.
Strand’s cancer detection tests will be carried out at the Mazumdar-Shaw Centre for Translational Research located in Electronics City, at a cost of Rs 15,000 ($248.61) per screening. The results of the test would be delivered in two to three weeks. Dr Vijay Chandru, Chairman and CEO of Strand Life Sciences, said the company was able to re-engineer costs using its core strength of bioinformatics (applying computer science, statistics, mathematics and engineering to process biological data) and lowering the cost of chemical reagents used in the test by 30-40 per cent.
Cancer detection tests using traditional technology cost between Rs 50,000 ($828.71) and Rs 80,000 (1325.93) in India and about $2,000 to $3,000 abroad, said Dr Chandru. “This test would only be carried out on a doctor’s prescription, typically a family doctor who knows the history of the patient,” he added.
According to Chandru, the extreme form of prevention would be the removal of one’s breasts and ovaries. However, one could also change lifestyle patterns to reduce the risk of the genes mutating. “Regular check-ups like mammography would also have to be undertaken on a routine basis,” he added.
“We believe this collaboration will help us foster innovation and encourage in-depth research in the genomics space, thereby providing better care for patients with cancer and other genetic diseases,” said Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon and founder, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Foundation.
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