VIJAYAWADA: In a major push to advance cancer research and precision medicine, the Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca India to establish an Integrated Genomics Solution Centre in Amaravati.
The facility, which aims to introduce precision oncology care for public healthcare, will focus on advanced genetic sequencing and biomarker testing for lung and breast cancer.
The MoU was signed on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and senior officials from the Health Department.
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca India will set up the centre in collaboration with Reliance-backed Strand Life Sciences and health-tech firm Qure.ai. The initiative will be integrated with Amaravati’s Quantum Valley framework to offer targeted cancer therapies based on individual genetic profiles.
The project will deploy Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and AI tools to detect cancer at an early stage and customise treatment protocols.
Cutting-edge medical technology for all: CM
As part of the rollout, AI-enabled X-ray screening systems will be installed in government hospitals across the State to speed up initial lung cancer screening for faster clinical diagnosis and to reduce critical treatment delays for patients relying on public medical facilities.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the primary objective of the partnership is to make cutting-edge medical technology accessible to all sections of society. Noting that environmental factors like pollution are increasingly contributing to rising cancer incidence, he stressed the need for early detection, and urged healthcare systems to adopt an approach that is predictive, preventive and curative.
Naidu further highlighted that the State government is digitising the health profiles of every citizen under Project Sanjeevani. Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad, AstraZeneca India Managing Director A Praveen Rao and others attended.