Cancer is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in India with a population size of approximately 1.2 billion plus. Recent reports suggest a steady increase in the incidence of various cancers in Indian population. One of the grave concerns of cancer burden of Indian population is the high mortality despite worldwide all-round advancement in both diagnosis and therapy. The prime reason for this disparity is the affordability and lack of awareness. This disparity underscores the need for the development of novel low-cost diagnostics and therapeutic measures so that majority of Indian population can access to it.

Another important issue with Indian cancer patients is the disease phenotype, which differs distinctively from that of the western population for many cancer types. For example, the incidence of triple negative breast cancer among Indian women is higher than that of western women; the average age-of-diagnosis of colorectal cancer is lower in Indian population from that of the west; rectal cancer incidence is high in Indian population; tobacco, rather than alcohol, is the major causative agent for the head and neck cancer, to name a few.

It is apparent that the future of successful cancer treatment lies with the precision diagnosis and novel methods of tumor classifications so that effective therapy can be administered in a more personalized manner. Thus, one needs to develop cost-effective diagnostic tests and tailored algorithms for tumor classifications to implement the principles of precision oncology in Indian cancer patients. With this in mind, the ATGC Diagnostics Pvt Ltd has initiated development of digital PCR/NGS based diagnostic tests using blood and tissue samples from cancer patients. It has also been planned to develop novel low-cost functional assays for the determination of BRCAness in breast and ovarian cancers. Development of an algorithm based on genomic instabilities and tumor immune contexture for the prognostication of rectal cancers is being contemplated.

We organize awareness programs for healthcare providers and medical students to update the advances in the field of medical genetics and genomics. We conduct workshops and hands-on training providing a learning platform for the young who practice medicine. We also participate in CME to provide technical and clinical insight into available actionable diagnostics tests.