Bengaluru-based SKAN Research Trust (SKAN), promoted by Indian entrepreneur Ashok Soota and the UK-based Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (CSCI), is all set to bring to India cutting-edge expertise in stem cell research through a series of partnership agreements that were concluded on 6 September 2023 in Cambridge.

CSCI and SKAN will jointly undertake specific research projects in stem cells and use their findings to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. 

The joint research, led by CSCI Principal Investigator Dr Jyoti Nangalia will study both normal brain tissue and neurological diseases to identify age-related genomic changes in the Indian population.

Through multiple consultancy agreements, CSCI and SKAN have agreed to a three-year period of knowledge transfer. SKAN will upgrade its stem cell and bioinformatics capabilities including top-of-the-line sequencing technologies with concomitant cell culture methodologies. CSCI researchers will benefit by amplifying the scope of their research through Indian cohorts and studies.