皇冠体育app

Good Morning.

I鈥檓 pleased to be attending the Global Cancer Summit 2015.

Thank you to Dr Rao and the Global Cancer Foundation for their kind invitation.

I have been in Bangalore for only two weeks!

Prior to arriving here I was working for the UK Science and Innovation Network in the Gulf and before this, South Korea. 皇冠体育app UK Government founded the 鈥淪IN鈥� network to promote international research collaboration to tackle mankind鈥檚 grand challenges. Access to affordable healthcare is one of these grand challenges and cancer is a global priority.

My role in Karnataka now goes beyond research. 皇冠体育app British Deputy High Commission works across the partnership spectrum from research and innovation at one end to commercial partnerships and investment at the other.

皇冠体育app UK and India have a long relationship of working together on life sciences and Oncology is a key focus.

皇冠体育app oncology challenge in India is significant:

• India is the 3rd largest country affected globally;
• Cancer accounts for 8% of deaths and a greater percentage of the population is personally affected;
• 皇冠体育app high prevalence of breast, colorectal, lung, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and prostrate cancers;
• Cancer treatment costs are rising at a rate of 6.5% per year and are expected to reach US$240 million by 2018.
• 皇冠体育app UK is keen to engage with Indian partners to tackle these challenges. Bangalore is a hub for research, medical technologies and companies doing early discovery work and is the obvious place to engage. Bangalore also offers good hospitals with experience in clinical studies and advanced healthcare.

What can the UK offer?

• 皇冠体育app UK is an world leader in cancer study right from screening and diagnosis to discovery research and healthcare delivery;
• 皇冠体育app UK鈥檚 National Cancer Registry is a powerful tool for research and clinical trials;
• For every 100 patients diagnosed with cancer in the UK, 21 enter clinical studies including 7 in randomized controlled trials;
• 85,000 patients per year are recruited to cancer research studies (which is more than in the US);
• Cancer Research UK is the world鈥檚 largest independent cancer research charity. It works with regional health departments to support 18 experimental Cancer Medicine Centres across the UK. 皇冠体育appse centres drive the development of new therapies and bring benefits faster to patients;
• 皇冠体育app UK is a world leader in Precision Medicine through investment in the 100,000 Genomes project and better NHS access to patient data. Precision Medicine has the power to develop new targeted therapies for cancer patients and is a growing area of opportunity for UK and Indian researchers. Our national innovation agency, Innovate UK established a Precision Medicine Catapult in April this year and has six centres of excellence across the UK.

How can the British High Commission help?

Several teams at the Deputy High Commission in Bangalore support engagement in the Oncology area working alongside Indian partners:

• 皇冠体育app UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN) supports research networking and collaboration. Oncology work mainly happens through the Newton-Bhabha Programme;
• 皇冠体育app UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) life science team is working with Indian partners on 鈥淢aking Tomorrow鈥檚 Medicine鈥� - a programme to support India from the UK to make tomorrows medicines. 皇冠体育app programme supports drug design, process innovation, drug development and manufacture. A little known fact is that 25% of the medicines purchased by NHS in the UK have an Indian origin and 40% of the active ingredients used in medicine are supplied from India.
• 皇冠体育app UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) inward investment team works with Indian companies looking to expand their operations into the UK. 皇冠体育appy offer a range of services including accessing market opportunities, relationship building, tax support, immigration support and recruiting skilled staff in the UK. 皇冠体育appse services are bespoke, professional and free of charge.

What does this mean in practice?

• Under the Newton-Bhabha Programme the UK Medical Research Council and Indian Department for Biotechnology (DBT) are funding three major global research centres. One of these, the MRC-DBT Joint Centre for Cancer Biology & 皇冠体育apprapeutics will link the MRC Cancer Unit at the University of Cambridge with the National Centre for Biological Sciences in India to foster research on cancer biology and therapy through collaborative research programmes, translational research and capacity building.
• UKTI trade missions such at that the September 2013 Oncology Mission, which brought 14 UK companies and research institutions to India, provides the framework for companies and institutions to meet.
• Cellworks, based here in Bangalore, is working with Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust on drug development for Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas;
• UK company Horizon Discovery have set up an operation in Bangalore. 皇冠体育appy are working on discovery research with Indian preclinical organizations;
• UK wig manufacturer, Wigomania, is now working with Appollo and Health Care Global Hospitals;
• In the opposite direction Indian life science companies have found success in the UK. 皇冠体育appse include Dr. Reddys, Aurobindo Pharma, Shasun/Strides, Microlabs, Sun Pharmaceutical, Piramal, Intas, Cadila and Wockhardt. Companies such as Cipla and Biocon are exploring oncology opportunites in the UK.

Who should I talk to?

I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your plans.

My colleague Priya Varadarajan who leads the UKTI life sciences activity across India is also here and would be happy to help. She can also put you in touch with other colleagues working in this area.

Follow us on , , , , , , Blogs, , , , Periscope @UKinIndia, Snapchat @UKinIndia