Strand Life Sciences, a technology innovation major has inked pact with the Mazumdar-Shaw Centre for Advanced Therapeutics (MS-CAT) for research on tongue cancer. The research will be carried out by Ganit Labs, a Department of Information Technology, Government of India and Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka funded genome sequencing and translational genomics lab in Bangalore.

The genomic lab has seen an investment of Rs.25 crore. Karnataka’s Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) has provided the infrastructure which includes the lab space and Strand has offered its key employees to manage the lab and the software technology analysis data.

The company is now carrying out research on tongue cancer and would the first-of-its-kind effort. A fair amount of oral cancer data related to gums and cheek have already been gathered, Dr Vijay Chandru, chairman and CEO, Strand Life Sciences and president, Association of Biotechnology Led Entrepreneurs (ABLE) told Pharmabiz.

India accounts for largest reports of oral cancer driven by habits of smoking and tobacco chewing. It is also the most prevalent cancer in most parts of the country. But the tongue cancer is reported to have a strong genetic basis and not co- related to habits, he added.

There is a significant difference in the incidence of oral cancer in different regions of the world. The age-adjusted rates of oral cancer vary from over 20 per 100,000 population in India, to 10 per 100,000 in the US, and less than 2 per 100,000 in the Middle East, according to a report on Global perspective on epidemiology and prognosis of head and neck cancer.

Going by the finding of its genetic link, Ganit Labs and Strand are looking at a good tissue to study from a whole genome point of view. “Sequencing entire cancer genome instead of analysing the DNA from tumour tissue and normal tissue separately, we are looking at understanding the diseases to help find the sub type of cancer,” stated Dr Chandru.

India which is participating in International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) with oral cancer as the site for research has associated the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG) of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as the lead institutions to be part of this project where most of the genomics work will be carried out at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC). Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai will be location for most of the patient characterization, tissue collection and some profiling. This study on buccal cancer will focus only on exome sequencing and not the entire e genome. “We do believe ours is the most comprehensive study,” said Dr Chandru.

The company has also been carrying out research on analysing the diverse mutations causing different types of cancer like breast and colon which have been undertaken in association with the Kidwai Institute of Oncology and the Indian Institute of Science.