Make cell & gene therapies affordable, Prof AK Sood, principal scientific advisor (PSA) to Union government told researchers in Bengaluru
But what are these therapies that Sood spoke about? They are cutting-edge medical treatments that aim to cure diseases at the source rather than just manage symptoms.
Gene therapy fixes faulty genes. It's like correcting the instruction manual in our cells. And cell therapy uses specially prepared cells — often taken from the patient or a donor — to help the body heal, fight disease, or replace damaged cells.
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These therapies are already being used to treat serious conditions like blood cancers and rare genetic diseases.
But each treatment can cost lakhs or even crores of rupees, making them out of reach for most people.
"Today, these therapies are extremely expensive — even in developed countries. If we want to make them widely accessible in India, we need a much larger and coordinated effort," Sood told the researchers and innovators at the India AMR Innovation Workshop held at C-CAMP here.
He said the Centre is working on a dedicated "Cell and Gene Therapy Mission" that will bring together several ministries and departments.
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"Science and technology is one part. The real challenge is scaling up to reduce costs. We must also develop key chemicals ourselves to cut down on imports," he said, noting that IIT Bombay is already working on this.
Citing ImmunoACT — a CAR-T cell therapy for cancer treatment that uses the patient's own immune cells to fight the disease — developed with govt support as a good example, he said private companies are now stepping in to take it forward and reduce costs further.
Sood also said quantum computing could speed up the discovery of new drugs by quickly solving complex problems, helping scientists find medicines faster. "This could change the future of healthcare," he said.
Pointing out that India lacks strong laws to stop over-the-counter sale of antibiotics, which is a major cause of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Sood blamed fake doctors, easy access to antibiotics, and high consultation fees for irresponsible usage.
Karnataka IT-BT secretary Ekroop Caur spoke about the rising danger of AMR, saying even people who don't misuse antibiotics can be affected because of what's happening in animals and plants. "That's why Karnataka launched a new AMR action plan this year."
C-CAMP CEO and director Taslimarif Saiyed warned that AMR could lead to 10 million deaths a year if urgent action isn't taken.
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