NIMS launches Telangana’s first government-sector genetic cancer testing facility
NIMS Hyderabad has launched Telangana’s first government-sector Next Generation Sequencing cancer testing facility. Established under the DIAMOnDS project, the centre offers advanced molecular diagnostic services free of cost and has already benefited more than 1,400 cancer patients.
Hyderabad: Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, has become the first hospital in the government sector in Telangana to launch an advanced Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) cancer testing facility that can detect cancer-related genetic changes with greater accuracy.
The NGS technology detects changes in DNA and RNA associated with cancers at an early stage and helps doctors diagnose cancer more precisely and choose the most effective treatment for patients, NIMS said on Saturday.
The NGS facility was set up under the Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research Advanced Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Services (DIAMOnDS) project.
NIMS Director Dr N Bheerappa explained that around 25 centres across India have been selected under the DIAMOnDS project, and currently NIMS is the only centre from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
The state-of-the-art laboratory is offering tests, including NGS, PCR, Digital Droplet PCR (ddPCR), FISH, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and other molecular diagnostic tests, free of cost to needy patients.
According to Dr Shantveer G Uppin, Professor and Head of Pathology, who leads the DIAMOnDS project at NIMS, 1,443 cancer patients have already benefited from these free molecular oncology diagnostic services since 2024. This includes 784 lung cancer patients and 659 breast cancer patients.
Dr Shantveer stated that the specialised facility gives patients access to advanced cancer tests that are usually expensive and difficult to obtain. Patients from across Telangana can avail themselves of these specialised tests at NIMS, enabling doctors to provide more targeted and effective treatment.
