Actorius Innovations and Research (AIR) based in Punen India is a cancer research-based innovative company that has developed India’s first and only available blood test- OncoDiscover® for capturing Circulating Tumour Cells (CTC) from cancer patients’ blood with the highest specificity, efficiency, and shortest time (5 hours).
As you are aware, cancer cells (10–30-micron size) are known to migrate from primary organs to distant organs through the peripheral blood and result in cancer metastasis (the spread). 90% of cancer patients succumb to the disease because of unnoticed early metastasis. Due to the low detection limit, PET/MRI (about 8-10 mm) scans often miss the presence and spread of cancers in the body.
OncoDiscover® test is the ‘First in Class’ Liquid Biopsy Technology with clinical validations evaluated at Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai (PI- Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Dy. Director TMH). It is the first indigenously developed and only Medical Device in the history of India to get approval for manufacturing and marketing by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) under the new Medical Device Rules 2017.
The research was done in Pune and Mumbai, with Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai being our research partner, since last 10 years. Apart from our OncoDiscover test, we have been able to continue our research in the area of cancer with new findings and new tests developed based on this research, the first of its kind in the world, which we wish to release soon for the use.
Dr Jayant Khandare commented, “Since 2004, this blood test has been available in the USA at Rs. 1.4 Lakhs and cannot be affordable to most Indian cancer patients. By innovating in India, we have reduced the price of this test to Rs 15,000 with the highest specificity and sensitivity. The test has a Turn Around Time of 48 hours v/s 10 days for foreign tests. To innovate this test, AIR was supported by DBT-BIRAC (Government of India) with research grants.”
“OncoDiscover Cancer surveillance test will help to detect cancer recurrence early and also shall improve the mortality numbers in the state. Through ‘OncoDiscover blood test and the surveillance thereof, we can save lakhs of lives. Our pioneering technology has a mission of saving cancer patients’ life,” Dr Khandare stated.
Advanced nations of Europe and North America aggressively screen and monitor cancer patients. Hence despite higher rates of cancer incidences, mortality due to cancer is ~30% in Europe and North America compared to ~60% in India. Thus, cost-effective surveillance of cancer is an important measure of delivering affordable cancer care in India. AIR has developed such a test which should be an integral part of delivering effective and affordable cancer care in India.
About the Company:
The company is focused on creating novel biomaterials that have critical applications in the life science, drug delivery and medical diagnostics field.
Co-founded in 2013 by three colleagues working in a drug discovery company, AIR strives to develop in-house platform technologies that will fulfil a current need in medical procedure by improving upon an existing technology or device, or an unmet need that is clearly defined and acknowledged by medical professionals.
