Every four minutes, three children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, yet survival rates remain dismal. In India, an estimated 50,000–60,000 new cases of childhood cancer, including leukaemia, lymphoma, brain and bone tumours, are reported annually. Late detection, treatment gaps, and limited access to care keep survival rates below those in the West.

Hyundai’s genomic push

Bringing hope to paediatric oncology, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to establish the Hyundai Centre for Cancer Genomics.

According to a report by Outlook India, the facility, inaugurated recently by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, is part of the ₹56-crore Hyundai Hope for Cancer programme.

The centre will house India’s first community-focused Cancer Tissue Biobank, enabling early diagnosis, genomic sequencing, and personalised treatment. It will also build a national database for paediatric leukaemia and lymphoma, connecting clinicians and researchers nationwide.

Wider outreach

The initiative includes 225 awareness and screening camps across Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Maharashtra, screening 1.27 lakh people and vaccinating 5,000 adolescent girls against Human Papillomavirus (HPV). 

Genomic data from 1,600 cancer samples will be collected, while free treatment support will reach 30–50 disadvantaged children.

“This initiative is not only about technology, but about giving children the gift of time and a future,” said Unsoo Kim, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India Ltd.