NIMS launches advanced Cancer Genomics Centre, first in Telangana Govt

Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences Hyderabad | Photo credit: NAGARA GOPAL

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

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

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

The laboratory set up under the project provides several advanced cancer diagnostic tests free of charge to eligible patients. These include next-generation sequencing (NGS), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and other molecular diagnostic tests.

Shantveer G. Uppin, professor and head of pathology, said that as of 2024, 1,443 cancer patients have already benefited from molecular oncology’s free diagnostic services. These include 784 patients with lung cancer and 659 patients with breast cancer.

Published – 30 May 2026 21:17 IST