August 18, 2010, Bangalore, India – Strand Life Sciences (Strand), a technology pioneer in
the practice of scientific intelligence in health sciences, today announced that it has signed an
MOU with Mazumdar Shaw Comprehensive Cancer Centre (MSCC) of the Narayana Hrudalaya
(NH), in translational cancer research. The partnership is aimed at performing joint research and
training in the field of translational cancer genomics and proteomics initially, leading to early
detection, cure, and prolonging lives of cancer patients and providing affordable solutions. This
collaboration would also lead to establishing of one of the largest translational cancer centers in
the country.
MSCC, conceived as a 1400-bed, multi-specialty hospital within Narayana Hrudalaya Health
City is one of the largest cancer hospitals in the world. Both the institutes have started a pilot
program on comprehensive study of head and neck cancer, the leading cancer of India. The
partnership will enable groundbreaking discoveries and affordable solutions for head and neck
cancer patients. An exciting outcome of the partnership is to create opportunities for young
Indian scientists and clinicians to work with global leaders and have access to cutting edge
scientific tools. Strand also is a part of the public-private partnership initiative to build the state-
of-the-art functional genomics and next-generation sequencing centre in Bangalore along with
Department of IT, BT & ST, Govt. of Karnataka and Department of IT, Govt. of India. The
centre, named Ganit Labs, would be at the forefront of solving scientific issues and contribute in
the genomics research and training.
Dr. Paul C. Salins, Professor, Vice President and Medical Director of the MSCC said, “MSCC is
conceived to provide a model for meeting the increasing demands for comprehensive and
affordable cancer care. The mandate for the institute is to create in India a center of global
excellence in clinical care as well as cutting edge translational research. Within a year the
institute is already attracting cancer patients with specific therapeutic and reconstructive
challenges from India and abroad seeking tailored solutions and advanced care. MSCC is one
of the few global leaders in Cancer Care capable of providing individualized characterization
and tailored therapy options. The current collaboration compliments our vision to be at the
forefront of global discoveries and clinical care.”
Professor Vijay Chandru, Chairman & CEO, Strand said “Over the last decade Strand has
evolved from being a tools provider to a serious Applications Science Company with a focus on
cancer biology. It is a privilege to engage in an agreement with Narayana Hrudalaya to continue
to advance important translational research that will lead to a better understanding of cancer to
help patients in India and around the world. This in turn will hopefully lead to developing better
diagnostic techniques and therapeutics."
Dr. Moni Abraham Kuriakose, Professor and Director of the Department of Surgical Oncology
and Chief, Head and Neck Oncology Services of the MSCC commented that “Head and neck
cancer is a major problem of the Indian subcontinent. Being an Indian problem we strongly
believe that the solution has to come from within and has to come from systematic research.
The major bottleneck in biomedical research is application of basic science developments into
tangible clinical benefit. We are excited about the current collaboration, where the clinicians can
work together with research groups to find solutions to cancer problems of our country. One of
the areas where we are making path breaking discovery is in understanding head and neck
cancer at the molecular level to develop “personalized treatment for patients.”
Dr. Binay Panda, Head of Ganit Labs and Sr. Vice President of Strand commented, this is for
the first time scientists from as diverse fields as computer science, head & neck surgery,
genome biology are coming together in India to undertake such a comprehensive study. Having
a breakthrough in this area would have a transformational impact on our society. The current
collaboration that is translational in nature would provide unique opportunity to young & talented
scientists in our country to get exposure to cutting-edge scientific tools and training in genome
biology and personalized medicine.
About Strand Life Sciences
Strand is a privately held company that has pioneered the practice of scientific
intelligence in the health sciences. Leveraging its unmatched interdisciplinary scientific
expertise with its decision enabling technologies, Strand empowers biomedical and
research scientists gain deep insights from raw data. Strand offers products and
services in the areas of omics-based technologies, drug discovery, predictive systems
modeling and knowledge management. Seven of the top ten pharmaceutical
companies, three of the top six biotechnology companies, and numerous academic
institutions across the globe, are part of Strand's esteemed customer profile.
For more information please visit www.strandls.com
About Mazumdar Shaw Comprehensive Cancer Centre of the Narayana
Hrudalaya, Bangalore:
Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre (“MSCC”) is the cancer treatment facility at the Multi-
Specialty Hospital, Narayana Hrudalaya, located at the Narayana Health City campus.
Built in a 500,000 square feet facility, the 1400-bed Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre is
the world’s largest cancer hospital with a particular focus on head and neck cancer,
breast cancer and cervical cancer. The hospital, apart from the highly qualified and
dedicated in-house doctors, draws medical expertise from a pantheon of world
renowned medical universities like Cornell. The hospital which has the active support of
Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, has been set up to decouple cancer care with
affluence and to bring about a discernable change in the approach to cancer care in
India.
Media Contact
Saurabh Narain
Director - Marketing & Communications
Strand Life Sciences
Mail to: saurabh@strandls.com
Tel: +91-80-40787263, Dir: +91-80-40787254