IIT Madras is setting up a National Cancer Tissue Biobank that will lead to creation of targeted drugs for the treatment of cancer. The biobank would help in carrying out diagnostic tests, creating genetic markers and early detection and prevention of cancer. The centre, a collaboration between IIT Madras and the department of science and technology, will help record cancer incidence, and improve diagnosis and treatment.
The tissues for research would be sourced from various hospitals with patients’ consent. The centre has obtained the clearance of the ethics committee and will ensure that the confidentiality of patients is maintained. As soon as the tumour is removed, a portion of it will be transported to the facility and stored in liquid nitrogen at minus 190 degrees Celsius. The facility can accommodate 25,000 cancer tissue samples in a 10,000 sq ft space. A super-resolution imaging system, cell sorting facility and sequencing facilities will also be housed in the biobank. The institute will be involved in training, education and research of next-generation biobanking process and once the system and process are standardised, they will be duplicated at nodal stations in peripheral areas.