We will raise $2-3mn to expand pan India & beyond, open research & clinical trials, develop cellular therapy

Going by international Agency for Research on Cancer, 1.7 million new cancer cases would be detected annually by 2030 in India.

- RITWIK MUKHERJEE

Within this new patient pool, there is a growing number of patient pool requiring advanced treatments or treatments that are not easily accessible due to affordability barriers or availability barriers. Thane (Maharashtra)-based SUNACT Cancer Institute was conceived with the focus on maximizing the accessibility of such advanced treatments to every eligible patient globally. SUNACT is driven by passion and science with the vision of providing advanced, latest and novel cancer therapies in India. With experts in different disease areas, it promises to create the best personalized, advanced, contemporary treatment options for cancer patients.

SUNACT is the first and only in the country to offer the latest CAR-T Cell Therapy and TCR for solid tumours, and it has now another feather to its cap with respect to the most advanced cancer treatment in India.

Speaking to The Statesman, Dr Vijay Patil, Founder, SUNACT Cancer Institute, delves at length on the facilities available at their institute, more facilities they are planning to bring in, expansion plans and much more.

Excerpts:

Q: You have recently (last year) introduced two of the world's latest final stage cancer treatments to India. Can you explain to a layman, what these are and who exactly they will benefit?

A: SUNACT has introduced groundbreaking cancer treatments using advanced cellular therapies, including CAR T-cell therapy, TCR therapy, and gamma delta T-cell therapy. These treatments work by taking the patient's own immune cells (T-cells), altering them in the lab to better recognize and attack cancer cells, and then reintroducing them into the body. Essentially, the body's own defense system is enhanced to target and destroy tumors more effectively. This offers a new, powerful way to fight cancer using the body's natural abilities.

Q: These treatments are reportedly very costly. How will the common Indian afford it?