IIT Madras and ITRI Formalise Centre for 3D Cancer Omics to Advance Translational Cancer Research
October 2026
The India’s Translational Research Initiative (ITRI), in collaboration with IIT Madras and with support from the Gogri family, has signed an agreement to establish the Centre for 3D Cancer Omics at IIT Madras. Housed at the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC), the initiative aims to strengthen cancer research and translational capabilities in India by integrating advanced 3D tissue imaging, molecular profiling, and computational approaches to better understand tumour biology and improve patient care.
The Centre will build on SGBC’s advanced 3D tissue imaging capabilities to develop a comprehensive 3D tumour atlas at single-cell resolution. By integrating three-dimensional tissue architecture with molecular and liquid biopsy data, the initiative seeks to generate a deeper understanding of how tumours develop, evolve, and respond to treatment. This integrated approach will help researchers investigate cancer beyond conventional two-dimensional analysis and explore new opportunities for translating research insights into clinical applications.
Over the next five years, the programme will initially focus on breast cancer, with the ambition to translate the resulting dataset into clinically actionable biomarkers, AI-enabled diagnostic tools, digital pathology applications, and new avenues for targeted therapies. The effort will bring together advanced imaging, biological data, and computational analysis to strengthen the evidence base for improved cancer diagnosis and treatment.
A key focus of the initiative is to establish the capabilities required to bridge the gap between cancer research and clinical application. Translating discoveries into patient outcomes requires more than scientific advances alone; it also depends on access to advanced infrastructure, integrated datasets, clinical collaboration, and pathways for validating and deploying emerging technologies. The Centre aims to bring these elements together within a collaborative translational research platform.
The establishment of the Centre for 3D Cancer Omics reflects a broader effort to strengthen India’s translational research infrastructure in oncology. By connecting institutional research capabilities with clinical needs and emerging technological applications, the initiative seeks to create stronger pathways for translating advances in cancer biology into tools and solutions with real-world relevance.
For ITRI, this initiative reflects our broader commitment to building shared translational research capabilities that connect scientific discovery with application, adoption, and scale. We are grateful to the Gogri family, IIT Madras, the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, and the clinical, academic, industry, and ecosystem stakeholders contributing to this effort. Their collaboration will be critical to building a platform that combines scientific excellence with a focus on meaningful patient outcomes.
As the Centre develops over the coming years, ITRI looks forward to working with its partners to advance cancer research, strengthen translational capabilities, and support the development of approaches that can ultimately contribute to better diagnosis and treatment for patients.
