New Delhi: To improve the understanding of the genetic variations of cancer in India, the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) Foundation launched a data portal, which aims to be a repository for India-specific cancer genomics. This portal aims to benefit researchers worldwide in providing tailored cancer treatments for patients.
“Historically, cancer treatments in India have been based on Western data sets. However, cancers in Indian patients can differ significantly at the molecular level,” ICGA Foundation said in a statement released Saturday evening.
It added, “Our mission is to create Indian-specific datasets to help researchers and clinicians develop personalised treatment protocols. This new open-access portal represents a monumental step in revolutionising cancer research for Indian patients.”
Currently, the portal has been launched with a dataset from 50 breast cancer patients, and it plans to expand it further to 500 patients in the coming months. Other types of cancers will also be included as the portal expands.
Professor Shekhar Mande, former director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), presently serving as a senior professor at Savitribai Phule Pune University, said that making such cancer data publicly accessible marks a pivotal step in accelerating scientific discoveries and enhancing patient outcomes.
“By openly sharing this data, we are empowering researchers, clinicians, and innovators to collaborate, explore new frontiers, and drive transformative breakthroughs in cancer treatment,” Mande said to ThePrint.
Suveera Dhup, chief operating officer of the ICGA Foundation, who was also involved in the development and designing of the portal, said that nearly 20 percent of the world’s cancer population is in India, but only 0.2 percent of the Indian data is used in cancer research worldwide.
“Many of the drugs developed for cancer treatments are not effective for Indian patients because cancer development differs significantly on a molecular level,” Dhup said during the launch.
The new portal is India’s first cancer Multi-Omics Data Portal, a comprehensive resource offering detailed multi-omics data for breast cancer patients, including genomic and proteomic information. It is based on the internationally recognised cBioPortal platform, which ensures seamless integration with global cancer research efforts.
For this portal, cancer cells from Indian patients will be collected, and a genetic analysis will be conducted before it is uploaded. Data will include the DNA, RNA and protein profiles of breast cancer patients and the clinical outcomes in each case. The dataset will be expanded to lung cancer patients once 500 patient data sets for breast cancer are completed.
ICGA claims that all precautions of patient consent and privacy have been taken into account, and the data sets will be provided on a request basis after approval from a scientific panel. This initiative is in line with the National Institutes of Health’s Cancer Genome Atlas programme in the US. This data aided global cancer research in a big way.
“Fifteen years ago, when we launched the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas), we could not have foreseen the remarkable progress cancer research would make. It is incredibly exciting to see ICGA advancing so rapidly and taking bold steps in revolutionising cancer research,” a joint statement by Dr J.C. Zenklusen, director, TCGA, and Professor Sunil Badve, vice-chair of Pathology Cancer Programs, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, read.
The statement added, “Understanding the genome of cancer patients will improve the treatment of Indians not only in India but also worldwide. We both encourage others with similar data to actively contribute to ICGA so this initiative can grow even faster and drive greater breakthroughs.”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhari)
Also read: WHO calls on world leaders to invest in global public health, said urgent action needed for AMR