Reliance Industries Plans Entry into Genomic Diagnostics with Low-Cost Testing Strategy

The conglomerate is leveraging Strand Life Sciences, a Bengaluru-based genomics and diagnostics company it acquired in 2021 for ₹393 crore, to drive this initiative.

Reliance Industries is planning to enter the genomic diagnostics space, with a focus on making advanced genetic testing more affordable and widely accessible.

The conglomerate is leveraging Strand Life Sciences, a Bengaluru-based genomics and diagnostics company it acquired in 2021 for ₹393 crore, to drive this initiative.

As per reports, Reliance is exploring the possibility of offering genomic tests at prices below ₹1,000, a significant reduction compared to the current basic test costs of around ₹10,000.

Genomic tests typically use blood, saliva, or tissue samples to assess disease risk, cancer progression, and inherited traits, and to guide personalised treatment approaches.

“We would like to make an impact,” Nilesh Modi, Director at Strand Life Sciences, said. “This is kind of a Jio-fication in genomics so that the tests can be accessed across all income groups. However, we have not fixed timelines. Our chairman (Mukesh Ambani) has given us the task.”

Reliance’s planned entry into genomic diagnostics is being compared to its telecom foray in 2016, when it disrupted the market through sharp reductions in pricing and expanded access to mobile services.

In a separate statement, Strand Life Sciences outlined its pricing goals for CancerSpot, an AI-based cancer screening test. “Our mid-term goal is to bring the price of CancerSpot cancer early detection screening test to 19,999 and aspire to reduce it further to triple digits in the coming decade,” the company said. “We want to make genetic sequencing and early cancer screening accessible and affordable to the masses.”

To achieve this, Reliance aims to lower gene sequencing costs through scientific innovations in assay design, engineering improvements in laboratory techniques, and economies of scale.

The company’s interest in genomics was also highlighted earlier this year during Reliance Industries’ annual general meeting.

Speaking at the event, Mukesh Ambani referred to advances in genomics and their potential to deliver “dramatic improvements in cure of diseases, longevity, and overall health.”

“We are expanding into the frontiers of digital health, life sciences and genomics. And we are developing AI as a new growth engine,” Ambani said.

CancerSpot is designed to support early detection of ten types of cancer, including liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, breast, and stomach cancers. The company clarified that the test is a screening tool and not a confirmatory diagnostic test.

According to Strand Life Sciences, the annual incidence of cancer among individuals above the age of 50 is typically less than one per 100 people. Among individuals identified as CancerSpot positive, this incidence increases by 10 to 30 times. The company noted that individuals who test positive are required to undergo standard diagnostic procedures to confirm the presence of cancer.

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