New centre at IISc Bengaluru to foster cancer research

In a statement, IISc said the launch marks a major leap forward in the quest to integrate cutting-edge computational methodologies with groundbreaking cancer research.

The centre will be led by Mohit Kumar Jolly, Associate Professor at the Department of Bio-engineering, who heads the Cancer Systems Biology research group at IISc.

Param Hansa Philanthropies will support the centre with $1 million over the next seven years.

Dheeraj Pandey, Founding Director of PHP, said, “We, at Param Hansa Philanthropies, are delighted and proud today at the launch of this new initiative aimed at significant, long-term impact in the area of computational oncology, supporting IISc in its mission. We believe in utilising the power of science and data sciences to create deep, meaningful outcomes for cancer research in India and elsewhere. With this long-term collaboration with IISc, we look forward to contributing to the fight against cancer in India and elsewhere, and simultaneously building a cadre of young scientists who, over time, will make a significant contribution to research and training future researchers in this field.”

Prof Govindan Rangarajan, Director of IISc, said, “We are very grateful to Param Hansa Philanthropies for their generous contribution to support research in the emerging area of computational oncology. At IISc, we are constantly seeking to push frontiers in cutting-edge research and encourage cross-disciplinary partnerships that solve pressing clinical challenges. We look forward to the exciting projects and solutions that will emerge from this new Centre.”

PHP’s existing collaborations include partnerships with the University of Texas, Austin and Stanford University. PHP-India began operations recently with the launch of its office in Bengaluru, and the establishment of the Param Hansa Centre for Computational Oncology at IISc is its first India partnership.