New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas launched India’s first comprehensive cancer multimedia data portal to promote research and treatment against the deadly disease that affects millions of people worldwide.
The platform provides Indian cancer patients with open access to clinical data, with the aim to transform cancer research and treatment for the Indian population.
Cancer treatment in India has always been based on Western data sets. However, the level of cancer in Indian patients varies significantly. This new open access portal is a significant step in revolutionising cancer research and will enable personalised treatment for Indian patients.
“The Multi-Omics Portal is the first such portal in India that provides data including DNA, RNA, and protein profiles of breast cancer patients, integrated with clinical outcomes,” the non-profit said.
Currently, the platform has data from 50 breast cancer patients, and plans to add more than 500 patients in the coming year. The data is available free of cost to the global research community under India’s PRIDE guidelines, which promote ethical sharing and collaboration in cancer research.
This platform is based on the internationally recognized cBioPortal platform and will aid global cancer research.
Dr Anand Deshpande, Non-Executive Director, ICGA said, “We have made a great start with this groundbreaking multi-omics cancer portal. Cancer affects all of us and there is an urgent need for more effective and personalised treatments, especially in India due to the unique genetic and environmental factors.”
He further added, “This portal will provide researchers with important data so that they can work on better treatment outcomes. I encourage everyone to contribute and support this important work, which will help us accelerate the fight against cancer.”
A recent report by Apollo Hospitals called India the “cancer capital of the world.”
In 2019, India recorded nearly 1.2 million new cancer cases and 9.3 million deaths. The Lancet report showed that India is the second-largest country in Asia suffering from the disease burden.
This number increased to 13.9 lakh in 2020, which then rose to 14.2 lakh and 14.6 lakh in 2021 and 2022 respectively. This number will increase further due to increasing age, pollution, poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle.
-IANS
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