ET Deep Dive: The DNA Fix
6/21/202621 min
A revolution is underway in cancer diagnosis. A gene-based test called next-generation sequencing can identify precise mutations in a patient’s DNA, which can then be treated with targeted therapies instead of painful chemotherapy. For an 80-year-old woman with stage 4 lung cancer, it meant walking again. For a 24-year-old with breast cancer, it meant a normal life. But since NGS tests can cost up to Rs 4 lakh, a unique collaboration called LuNGS Alliance is making it free for lung cancer patients across India — offering a glimpse of how medical breakthroughs can be made accessible and affordable for all.
Vikas Dandekar and Arijit Barman report. Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audio
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First 90 secondsAnirban Chaudhuri· Host0:00
[intro theme music] Hello, welcome to ET Deep Dive, ET's best-reported stories in audio. [upbeat music] Today's episode is based on ET's pharma editor Vikas Dandekar and Arijit Barman's report on an overhaul quietly happening in hospitals and clinics across India. An overhaul not of machines or medicines, but of data and DNA, of reading the code of life itself to fight cancer. This is the story of next-generation sequencing. It's Sunday, the 21st of June. I'm Anirban Chaudhuri. This is the morning brief. [upbeat music] [gentle music] It began with unexplained headaches, localized, lancinating jabs during summer. They often lasted minutes, but sometimes much longer. Within weeks, giddiness and disorientation followed. That, in turn, triggered multiple convulsions. This was the plight of Sita Devi, 80 years old. Her family rushed her to the local