Overview
- The Hyundai Centre for Cancer Genomics at IIT Madras includes India’s first community-based cancer tissue biobank.
- Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled the centre and framed the partnership as aligned with National Education Policy 2020.
- The programme prioritises genomic sequencing to build a national paediatric cancer genome resource and plans collaboration with ICGC and WHO’s IARC.
- Over four years, organisers plan 225 screening and awareness camps across Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Maharashtra to reach about 1.27 lakh people and vaccinate 5,000 girls against HPV.
- Patient support and capacity building include a dedicated INR 3 crore Cancer Care Fund, free treatment for 30–50 children, upskilling 100 genomics technicians and deployment of Mobile Medical Units.