IMS & SUM Hospital Establishes Odisha’s First in-house Genomics Lab
Advertisement
Equipped with advanced technologies, the laboratory is capable of diagnosing, classifying, and monitoring a wide spectrum of cancers, blood disorders, and inherited genetic diseases
The Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) and SUM Hospital have established the first comprehensive in-house Molecular Diagnostics and Genomics Laboratory in Odisha, aimed at enhancing precision diagnostics capabilities.
Equipped with advanced technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH), cytogenetics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and Sanger sequencing, the laboratory is capable of diagnosing, classifying and monitoring a wide spectrum of cancers, blood disorders and inherited genetic diseases.
The facility houses advanced sequencing platforms, including the Ion GeneStudio S5 Plus, Illumina MiSeq i100, and Illumina NextSeq 2000, enabling both targeted gene analysis and large-scale genomic applications such as whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing.
It is supported by sophisticated infrastructure for nucleic acid quality assessment, cytogenetics, FISH imaging, and molecular pathology.
According to the hospital, genomic testing will support the management of both blood cancers and solid tumours by helping clinicians establish diagnoses, determine prognoses and identify patients eligible for targeted therapies. It will also assist in monitoring treatment response through multidisciplinary molecular tumour boards.
Beyond diagnosis, the laboratory will also monitor treatment response by tracking molecular changes during therapy.
The facility is expected to have a wider impact on healthcare delivery in Odisha by reducing dependence on laboratories outside the state.
Commenting on the latest facility, Dr Shivangi Harankhedkar, head of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Genomics at IMS and SUM Hospital, said, "Diagnosis for cancer or suspected genetic disorders is no longer dependent only on what can be seen under the microscope. We have entered the era of precision medicine, where decoding genetic information is guiding diagnosis and treatment.”
Stay tuned for more such updates on Digital Health News
