The Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) has opened a Cancer Genomics Centre,a big step for cancer diagnostics in Telangana's government healthcare. This facility is first in the state to offer Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) services,a tech that analyzes genetic material to catch cancer early and customize treatments for patients.
Set up under the Department of Health Research (DHR)-Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Advanced Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Services (DIAMOnDS) initiative,the centre seeks to boost cancer diagnosis accuracy by examining DNA and RNA for genetic changes. NIMS director N. Bheerappa pointed out that while 25 centres across India have been chosen for the DIAMOnDS project,NIMS is only one serving patients from Telangana,Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
The lab provides various diagnostic tests free of charge to eligible patients. These tests include NGS,Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR),Digital Droplet PCR (ddPCR), Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation (FISH),and Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Since early 2024, 1,443 cancer patients have taken advantage of these free molecular oncology services. Of those, 784 were diagnosed with lung cancer and 659 with breast cancer,according to Professor and Head of Pathology Shantveer G. Uppin .
