First Indian co-researchers team to receive $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges award
Vedanta’s BALCO Medical Centre (BMC) has become the first Indian co-researchers in a team to receive the prestigious Cancer Grand Challenges Award. The recognition, with a substantial $25 million grant for cancer research, underscores BMC’s position as a pioneering institution in India’s oncology landscape. The recipient team PROSPECT, comprising clinicians, advocates, and scientists from BALCO Medical Centre and other esteemed institutions around the world, will be addressing the critical issue of early-onset cancer challenge.
Jyoti Agarwal, Chairperson, Vedanta Medical Research Foundation, stated, “Over the past six years, at BMC, our leaders, employees, and stakeholders have worked tirelessly to ensure that we have access to the best technologies and that our patients and communities feel safe and confident. With this support from Cancer Grand Challenges, our efforts are not only continued but also strengthened. With collaborative efforts, I am confident that we can positively contribute to the overall healthcare landscape.”
Team PROSPECT is one of five global teams being funded this year by Cancer Grand Challenges, which was founded in 2020 by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute US, to invite diverse world-class research teams to come together, think differently and take on some of cancer’s toughest challenges. The teams will be funded by Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Institute, the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK and Institute National Du Cancer through Cancer Grand Challenges with a total investment of $125m to tackle some of the toughest challenges in cancer research.
“Together with our network of visionary partners and research leaders, Cancer Grand Challenges unites the world’s brightest minds across boundaries and disciplines and aims to overcome cancer’s toughest problems,” said Dr David Scott, Director, Cancer Grand Challenges.
Dr Bhawna Sirohi, Medical Director, Vedanta Medical Research Foundation (BALCO Medical Centre) and the lead principal investigator for PROSPECT-India study, said, “The grant will speed up global cancer research, focusing on understanding the reasons behind the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer and strategies for prevention.”
