Illuminate 3.0 witnesses formation of first-of-its- kind consortium for clinical trials

In a strong response to promote advocacy towards cancer awareness and cutting-edge cancer treatment in India, a group of renowned oncologists signed on the dotted line to conceptualise a consortium with the goal of promoting a clinical trials network in the country.

The signing took place at Illuminate 3.0 – a 3-day oncology townhall hosted by Dr Sewanti Limaye who was the Organising President and the Convener of the meeting.

The clinical trial alliance was championed by Dr Sewanti Limaye with Dr Kumar Prabhash as Chair, and Dr Shona Nag and Dr Atul Batra as Vice Chairs. The consortium will facilitate shaping up the infrastructure to strengthen cancer care trials in India.

Prior to the signing, the forum was enriched with insightful discussions underlining the need for a collaborative clinical trials network in India, era-adaptive trials, and common pitfalls. The event also strengthened its cancer screening mission with the active involvement of Dr Abhishek Shankar from AIIMS, New Delhi, who contributed significantly to advancing scalable cancer screening strategies in India.

The platform witnessed the launch of the 2nd edition of the Gastric Cancer Book – a compilation comprising evidence-based diagnosis and treatment in which Dr Sewanti Limaye herself and her team have been prime contributors.

In addition to this, amid the presence of globally renowned oncologists, Roche Pharma India unveiled Tecentriq®️ (atezolizumab) Subcutaneous (SC). A significant step towards enhancing cancer-care delivery, the subcutaneous formulation provides an alternative route of administration designed to maintain clinical effectiveness while simplifying the treatment experience for both patients and healthcare providers.

One of the most prominent events at Illuminat 3.0 was the launch of the “Liquid Biopsy Foundation of India”. Through this initiative, clinician scientists like Dr Sewanti Limaye and molecular scientist like Dr Prashant Kumar, come together to bring discussions around blood test for cancer detection and also for treatment response tracking, to the center of discussion.

Dr Sewanti Limaye, Director – Medical & Precision Oncology, Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, said, “Cancer burden both domestically and internationally has spiked multifold, and as per the statistics, India records over 1.4 million new cancer cases every year. What is more concerning is that most of them are detected at advanced stages, making treatment complex, expensive, and outcomes uncertain. Through this initiative and platform, our collective efforts are to make a humble submission to the Indian healthcare ministry to include cancer screening as a part of Ayushman Bharat. We also propose cancer screening and awareness to be mandated as a part of CSR initiatives of Indian corporates, with the sole interest to build an ecosystem that thrives on proactive attention rather than reactive response to detect, treat, and eradicate cancer from society.”