Kochi to get first cancer technology incubator early next year

The first cancer technology incubator in Kochi city will come up early next year with the Kerala Startup Mission and Cochin Cancer Research Centre joining hands.

The project aims to provide administrative support to startups that can innovate in the field of medicine, the incubators CEO Saji Gopinath said at the CanQuer annual symposium near here on Saturday.

The idea behind the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) mission is to provide innovators a platform to experiment and develop their product without any worries about failure, according to him.

KSUM will provide the incubators a cushion to fallback in case the idea fails, he said at the ongoing 3rd edition of CanQuer being hosted by CCRC and KSUM that began on November 8.

We will also be providing mentorship programmes for them to better the product, Gopinath said.

Kerala IT Secretary M Sivasankar stressed the need for synergy between different technological disciplines.

The weekends sessions of CanQuer at KSUMs Integrated Startup Complex covered areas of new technological advancement and how early detection can prevent occurrences of cancer among 60 per cent of patients in India.

Dr G K Rath, Head, Department of Radiotherapy, AIIMS, Delhi, highlighted how cancer control has become a reality in India.

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Department of Surgical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai cited the example of an anti-smoking advertisement.

A simple ad which had graphic representation of oral cancer has been able to educate and curb number of cases. So, preventive mediums are a great success stories, Chaturvedi said.

The November 8-10 event is being held at Kalamassery.