MedGenome is looking to partner with the state governments in the country to offer its OncoMD, a cancer analytics platform with information on over 1.2 million cancer mutations allowing accurate interpretation of genomic variations.
Currently in India there are cancer camps conducted in rural areas and district hospitals. In Karnataka the state government owned Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology has been conducting several cancer detection camps to detect the early onset of the dreaded disease. This is in a bid to ensure that the patients below-the-poverty-line do not have to spend considerably if the detected in the initial stages.
Ovarian cancer has emerged as one of the most common malignancies affecting women in India. In fact cancer of the cervix is the commonest cancer among female population. In Karnataka, there would be about 1.5 lakh cancer cases at any given time with around 35,000 new cancer cases added to this pool each year, according to the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
“We are keen to be associated with state governments including Karnataka. OncoMD currently is catering to genome analytics for Somatic cancer mutations. We have done clinical genomic work for ovarian cancer patients in India and continue to offer the test to our customers at affordable rates, Sam Santosh”, CEO and chairman, MedGenome told Pharmabiz in an email.
Early last month, the company set up a 10,000 sq. ft. molecular diagnostic and proteomics lab in Narayana Health City, Bengaluru to address the health issues and overcome challenges of patient counseling and assist doctors to adopt a focused approach to comprehend the science of the disease to extend the required treatment.
The company is keen to utilise its domain expertise and maximise India’s population structure to identify disease genes across its 29 states and seven Union Territories. “We are pioneers and a private player entering into population genetics. We do multiple academic research projects analysing pedigree genome information to derive genomic underlying reasons of the diseases”, he added.
Access to data base of gene variations would be particularly useful to detect and advice the vulnerability to ovarian cancer. Partnering with the state governments, the company could bring patients to its fold to test and detect ovarian cancer. The objective is that MedGenome would like to have a social impact through its genomic testing and genome analytic capabilities, he noted.
“Gene identification has considerable advantages as it could bring down expenses with early detection as compared to late onset of symptoms. For the MedGenome chief, more than the cost of treatment, it is the quality of life of the patient post the right treatment identification. Early detection can have a significant impact on the mortality and morbidity rates for patients with chronic diseases,” he said.