Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mumbai-based startup Karkinos Healthcare (KH) for research collaboration on cancer diagnostics. The MoU was signed between Prof TG Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati and R Venkataramanan, CEO, Karkinos Healthcare.

Under the agreement, a Centre of Advanced Research on Diagnostics in Cancer (C-CARD), a first-of-its-kind in the nation with an IIT, will be set up at IIT Guwahati. The centre will be equipped and operated by KH at the IIT Guwahati premises for its establishment. The primary aim of this centre is to work on research related to advanced and affordable diagnostics solutions for non-communicable diseases, primarily Cancer for patients from across the nation.

The MoU will collaborate on initiatives including:

Ø A large-scale OncoDiagnostic services in conjunction with Assam Cancer Care Hospitals across the state to prepare a comprehensive cancer atlas for North-East

Ø Establishment of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) facilities to identify the India-specific hereditary origin of this giant killer

Ø Capability development on high-end data analytics using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques

Ø High-quality informatics for research and development through comprehensive genomic landscape identification

Ø Capacity development through academic collaboration on clinical excellence

Ø Partnerships with biotech and pharma majors