India's 1st Cancer Genome Atlas launched ahead of Quad's 'Cancer Moonshot' initiative

A high profile global initiative to tackle cancer called the 'Cancer Moonshot' will be announced on the sidelines of the Quad Summit. Ahead of that an India cancer specific cancer genome atlas has been released.

Till date, all cancer treatments were based on western datasets, say the experts who made the cancer atlas.

This had led to complications. India has the third-highest number of cancer cases after the US and China.

The release of the Cancer Genome Atlas of India is timely since according to estimates by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in India, the incidence of cancer cases is likely to increase from 1.46 million in 2022 to 1.57 million in 2025.

The Quad Summit to be held in Philadelphia will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. While global security will be high on the agenda, the menace of cancer is also not being ignored.

Cancer Moonshot is a special programme spearheaded by Mr Biden and the US First Lady.

The White House says it is building a world where the word cancer loses its power, a diagnosis isn't a death sentence, and to prevent cancer before it starts.

The Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (ICGA) is aimed at transforming cancer research and treatment for the Indian population. Historically, cancer treatments in India have been based on western data sets. However, cancers in Indian patients can differ significantly at the molecular level.