NIMS launches advanced cancer genomics centre, first in Telangana’s government sector

The Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) has established a Cancer Genomics Centre, becoming the first government sector hospital in Telangana to offer Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based cancer diagnostic services. NGS is a technology that analyses changes in a patient’s DNA and RNA to help doctors detect cancer earlier, identify its precise characteristics and select more targeted treatments.

The facility, set up under the Department of Health Research (DHR)-Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Advanced Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Services (DIAMOnDS) project, will enable the detection of cancer-related genetic changes with greater accuracy by analysing DNA and RNA.

NIMS director N. Bheerappa said that around 25 centres across India have been selected under the DIAMOnDS project and that NIMS is currently the only centre serving Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka under the scheme.

The laboratory established under the project provides several advanced cancer diagnostic tests free of cost to eligible patients. These include Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Digital Droplet PCR (ddPCR), Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation (FISH), Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and other molecular diagnostic investigations.

Professor and Head of Pathology Shantveer G. Uppin said that 1,443 cancer patients have already benefited from the free molecular oncology diagnostic services since 2024. These include 784 lung cancer patients and 659 breast cancer patients.