Appropriate translational research is the need of the hour in cancer control. Although considerable basic knowledge is available from experimental cancer research, it needs to be validated in population-based studies for its application to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Besides, there is severe lack of base-line data needed to plan proper preventive and interventional strategies in India. The research and development (R&D) programmes at CFI are, therefore, mainly focused in areas of cancer screening, chemoprevention, epidemiology, identifying indigenous risk factors (through base-line population based surveys) for high incidence cancers and developing low cost diagnostic methods with appropriate technology for detection of cancer.
Title of Project: Study on Efficacy of 2 dose vs 3 dose of HPV Vaccine in India
Cervical cancer has been the cause of death for women the world over and hence the quadrivalent HPV vaccine has been developed with the aim of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer.
This project is a randomized vaccination study to provide scientific evidence on the comparative efficacy to induce and sustain immunogenicity, immune memory, prevent infection by HPV types included in the vaccine, cross protection against HPV types not included in the vaccine and to prevent CIN and invasive cancer. It will generate scientific evidence on the efficacy of 2 dose HPV vaccination regimen as compared to the current standard three dose regimen.
The overall goal of this project is to prevent cervical cancer in India and other developing countries by accelerating access to HPV vaccine by guiding public health policies for planning and implementing large-scale, sustained HPV vaccination programs to prevent cervical cancer.
Target population:
1000 Young girls between 10 - 18 years in Sikkim & Mizoram
Supported by:
International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO), Lyon, France
Period:
2009 - 2021
Co-PI:
Maqsood Siddiqi
Project status:
Ongoing
Title of Project:
Prevalence of Pre-malignant lesions and Presence of High grade HPV infection among women living in Low and High Arsenic areas in West Bengal
It is well established now that the clinical manifestations of chronic Arsenic exposure, if left unattended, ultimately present a high risk of cancers of various internal organs and skin. It is estimated that about 10 to 20 years are required for malignancy to develop after the onset of arsenic related clinical symptoms.
It is therefore, proposed to conduct cervical cancer screening among asymptomatic women in high and low Arsenic-prone areas in West Bengal to determine the incidence of prevalence HPV and pre-neoplastic cervical lesions CIN I, CIN II, CIN III and Invasive cervical cancer using VIA/VILI followed by Colposcopy examination and punch biopsy wherever indicated.
Target population:
Women in high-arsenic area with age range 25 - 59 yrs
Supported by:
Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India
Title of Project: Distribution of HPV genotypes in cervical cancers in India and correlation with the PreTect HPV Proofer E6/E7 mRNA test
HPV E6/E7 Oncogene mRNA testing can detect women with persistent transforming HPV infection more accurately and hence expected to identify those who are truly at increased risk for cervical cancer. This will result in increased specificity of HPV testing and also be of a greater prognostic value at a higher sensitivity than L1-based HPV DNA tests. It is also felt that the study will provide a more accurate picture of the prevalence pattern of HPV types in invasive cancers in India.
Title of Project: Molecular Epidemiology of HPV types prevalent in India and identification of HPV-16 L1 & E6 variants
The objective of this Multi - centric Project was to study the HPV classes and their L1 and E6 variants from histopathology confirmed Cervical cancer tissue samples from east and north - eastern States of India. It is a supportive project towards development of vaccine against high grade HPV indigenous strains prevalent in India.
Target population:
Ca Cx patients
Supported by:
Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India
Title of Project: Evaluation of the Comparative Efficacy of Single Versus Double-Freeze Cryotherapy in Calcutta, India
The project was meant to investigate the test characteristics of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) and Visual Inspection with Lugol's Iodine (VILI) carried out by trained health workers in detecting high grade cervical cancer lesions followed by Colposcopy and evaluation of the efficacy of single and double-freeze cryotherapy techniques in controlling different grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).
Target population:
Rural women, married, between 25 - 59 years of age
Supported by:
International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO), Lyon, France
Period:
2004 - 2006
Investigator:
Maqsood Siddiqi
Project status:
Completed
Title of Project: Role of Curcumin in protecting DNA damage in lymphocytes from human population chronically exposed to Arsenic in West Bengal
Arsenic contamination in ground water has become a massive health hazards in 8 districts of West Bengal state. Besides various diseases, arsenic is also known to be a cause of cancers of skin and gastro - intestinal tract in the chronically exposed population. This project envisages establishing the use of Curcumin (active component of turmeric) as a chemo-preventive agent against arsenic-induced genotoxicity.
Target population:
Population from High - arsenic areas of West Bengal
Supported by:
Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India
