Kochi to Get Cancer Tech Incubator Early Next Year, Courtesy KSUM

KOCHI:
The city will get its first cancer technology incubator early next year, as Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) are joining hands to realise the project that aims to provide administrative support to startups that can innovate in the field of medicine, a national seminar was told today.

The idea behind the KSUM mission is to provide innovators a platform to experiment and develop their product without any worries about failure, the incubator’s CEO Dr Saji Gopinath noted at the CanQuer annual symposium here.

KSUM will provide the incubators a cushion to fall back in case the idea fails, he stated on Saturday at the ongoing 3rd edition of CanQuer being hosted by CCRC and KSUM. “We will also be providing mentorship programs for them to better the product,” added Dr Gopinath at the opening session of day-2 of the November 8-10 event in Kalamassery, 20 km north of here.

M Sivasankar, Secretary, Department of IT, Govt. of Kerala, stressed the need for a synergy between different technological disciplines. “We have seen that they are all inter-linked,” he noted in the keynote address. “At KSUM, we are trying to create an eco-system where innovators come together and help each other.”

Dr Moni Kuriakose, Director, CCRC, highlighted the importance of applied research, saying it merited deeper focus in health. “We all know the main problem areas in cancer care and research. With initiatives like KSUM, we will be able to bring together the technology and administrative framework, thus provide an eco-system for Startups to productise their clinical ideas,” he added.

The weekend’s sessions of CanQuer at KSUM’s Integrated Startup Complex covered areas of new technological advancement and how early detection can prevent occurrences of cancer among 60 per cent of patients in India.

Dr G.K Rath, Head, Department of Radiotherapy, AIIMS, Delhi highlighted on how cancer control has become a reality in India. “We have seen a drastic reduction in the number of cancer cases caused due to excessive tobacco uses,” he said. “With the correct kind of reach, we can reduce the number of cancer cases in the country.”

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Department of Surgical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai stated the example of the anti-smoking advertisement. “A simple ad which had graphic representation of oral cancer has been able to educate and curb number of cases. So, preventive mediums are a great success stories.”

Dr. Ravi Mehrotra, CEO, ICRC-ICMR and Dr. Mohan Viswanathan KV, former director of science review, NCATS, NIH spoke about emerging early cancer detection technology and significance of academia industry partnership.

Day-two also saw various panel discussions on topics like technology to transform cancer care outcome, creating effective link between clinicians and startups vis-a-vis challenges and opportunities and vaccine and cell-based therapy. Tomorrow will see six more sessions led by experts from various fields.