A ground breaking innovation patented by a faculty of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) here for oral cancer screening is now poised for commercial production.

Dr. Swagatika Panda, distinguished professor in the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology at the Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS), SOA’s faculty of dental sciences, who had developed the cutting-edge oral cancer screening kit and patented it, has transferred the same to a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company for production and marketing.

The patent assignment transfer agreement featured three key stakeholders, Dr. Panda, assignor and creator of the patented technology, Supriya Pharmaceuticals, the assignee with the mission of putting the innovation on the commercial forefront and the Technology Business Incubator (TBI), affiliated to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which facilitated the collaboration between academia and industry.

The collaboration was facilitated by Dr. Amaresh Panda, Technology Transfer Officer at TBI.

The oral cancer screening kit, which has attracted immense attention, was developed with the support of the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) provided by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the aegis of DBT.

The clinical effectiveness of the innovation had been rigorously demonstrated through observational studies conducted at the Department of Oral Surgery, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology and Department of Oral Pathology at IDS. These studies provided robust evidence of the technology’s ability to revolutionize oral cancer screening by confirming its potential to bring about a paradigm shift in early detection and intervention.

“This patent assignment transfer represents high value collaboration between academia and the healthcare industry exemplifying the potential for impactful innovations to transition from research and development to practical applications that benefit society,” Prof. (Dr.) Neeta Mohanty, Dean of IDS, said.