The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) and Aqsens Health, Finland are collaborating for a long-term collaboration project to validate and bring to the market saliva-based oral cancer screening method. These methods are developed by Finnish Aqsens Health.

The trio will reinforce their joint commitment on remote health monitoring in India. With the advent of Aqsens Health Oy, a Finnish company, on its campus, C-CAMP opens its doors to international companies.

According to Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, director and COO, C-CAMP, Aqsens Health is working on a crucial Indian problem, oral cancer. Oral cancer is a huge disease burden for India and needs interventions for management and prevention of the disease. C-CAMP has evinced interest to collaborate with Aqsens Health and foster global partnerships to find solutions, which will have huge social impact. Likewise it hopes to benefit from Aqsens presence in C-CAMP and its contribution to the eco-system which it has built over the last few years where it has supported over 70 innovative life science start-ups.

Remote health monitoring is becoming an increasingly important focus in the national health agenda, especially for countries with a large population. Having a cost-efficient and mobile method to screen and monitor diseases like oral cancer will have a significant impact both on humanity and socio-economically. Aqsens Health is committed to finalising the testing of the method and to productise the method into a solution that enables non-invasive, fast, easy, affordable screening and monitoring of oral cancer even in rural conditions.

Biocon Foundation is the collaboration partner in the product testing project. With the help of all collaborating parties Aqsens Health’s intention is to enable India providing affordable access to healthcare. In the long term the parties wish to explore possibilities for screening and monitoring other diseases and exporting the product from India to other regions, he added.

“At Aqsens Health we have developed a unique method that has a promise to meet all critical elements of sensitivity, non-invasiveness, mobility and further it can be offered affordable cost. The technology originates from the University of Turku and it has been further developed to reach these special requirements and now with this final step we aim to bring it fully to India”, stated Timo Teimonen, chairman Aqsens Health.

“We aim to create an environment, which allows ideas, knowledge and best practices to be exchanged across the world and fostered. There is much to be learned and gained from each other and the timing is just right where India is concerned. India is ready to collaborate with public and private organizations across the world for sustainable human benefit and the protection of the planet’s future,” Prof K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, DBT.

“In this collaboration there is one other interesting aspect, a start-up contributing on socio-economical scale and working with DBT and other Indian partners. This all is a reflection of Finnish new start-up culture which will encourage many similar collaboration projects”, said Nina Vaskunlahtii, Ambassador of Finland.

“We  look forward to the collaborative efforts towards improving diagnostics in cancer, with the international innovative start-up Aqsens in the Bengaluru life science cluster ” said Prof. Satyajit Mayor, NCBS, director.