Marking the breast cancer awareness day, the Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute in Hyderabad has embarked up on various cancer awareness programmes in the state.

As part of this initiative the Indo-American Cancer Hospital has been organizing various programmes like Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, Cancer Awareness Programme and a Free Cancer Screening Camp in the city.

Initially to mark the Breast Cancer day on October 18, the hospital had organized Cancer Awareness Walk from Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital to the KBR Park Junction in Jubilee Hills. The programme was flagged off by City police commissioner Anurag Sharma.

In tune with its vision the institute is not only merely involved in treating the patients but it is also taking up programmes towards prevention of the dreaded disease. As part of this, the hospital is organising various programmes that are aimed at understanding the basis of disease and creating awareness among general population about cancer and possible causative agents and practices.

A part from serving the poor patients from all parts of the country, the Basavatarakam Indo-American institute has also taken up research initiatives in the filed of oncology. The R&D wing of BIACH & RI has been in the forefront in conducting research pertaining to cancer and its allied activities and is being recognized as one of the premier R&D centres in the country.

Recognizing the efforts of the R&D wing for the first time ICMR, New Delhi has sanctioned a three-year grant for research project tilted ‘Combinatorial Approaches to Elevate Levels of Intra – Cellular Ceramide in Drug Resistant Head and Neck Cancer Cells.”

“The project aims to understand underlying mechanisms of major pathways which are targets for almost all the anti-cancer treatment strategies, excepting surgery. The pathway that is targeted in the research study may also potentially important in developing drug resistance. The expected outcome of the project might help in developing specific and effective anti-cancer treatment modalities with less side-effect,” informed a source.

It is expected that the new research study taken up by the R&D wing will bring in possible new treatment strategy as it involves bioactive molecules that are present in human body and are thus less likely to have harmful side-effects. The institute has no fund crunch at present. The R&D wing’s another proposal on stem-cell therapeutics has also been approved by the funding agencies. Overall, the Indo-American institute has been doing remarkably well and has even attracted research fellows from reputed national agencies like CSIR and ICMR.

source: http://www.pharmabiz.com / Home> News> Hospitals & Clinics / PharmaBiz.com’s Bureau / Hyderabad, Saturday, October 20th, 2012