Developing Advanced Therapeutics For Cancer

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 3 FEB 2018: The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has announced plans to establish a joint venture at Bio-Park Trivandrum to develop advanced therapeutics for cancer and other diseases.

“This would be a crucial step which will enable Kerala to leapfrog into a leadership position in the discovery and development of advanced biologics in India,” KSIDC chairman Christy Fernandez said at an international symposium on Development of Advanced Biologics for the Treatment of Human Diseases.’

The symposium was organised jointly by SciGenom Labs, US, and KSIDC. SciGenom Inc, a genomics research and development company based in San Francisco, will the promoter of the new company. ‘’Leveraging genomics with superior antibodies will help in enabling personalised medicine in India,” said Sam Santhosh, chairman of SciGenom. Leading scientists from US, Canada, Germany, Singapore and India participated in the conference. Cancers of the head and neck are the most prevalent forms of the disease in India but effective drugs are not available.

The new company will address this issue. It will also look into inflammatory diseases, anti-snake venom and infectious diseases like dengue and Chikungunya. Brenda Andrews, professor of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, and member of the governing council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) inaugurated the symposium. The new company will start functioning from April at SciGenom’s facilities in the SEZ at Kochi.The New Indian Express