India News | Dr Dangs Lab Becomes India's First Laboratory to Offer Guardant Health's Shield™ Multi-cancer Detection Test Nationwide, Signs MoU for Strategic Partnership, with Zydus Lifesciences

New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): Setting a new benchmark in precision cancer screening, Dr Dangs Lab, a pioneer in high-quality diagnostics and one of India's most trusted pathology laboratories, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zydus Lifesciences Limited, an innovation driven global lifesciences company to introduce Shield™, a groundbreaking blood-based Multi-Cancer Detection (MCD) test developed by Guardant Health (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company.

India stands at a critical juncture in its public health landscape as cancer continues its steady rise across the country. Recent estimates from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Cancer Registry Programme, published in The Lancet Oncology, indicate that the nation's cancer burden is projected to increase by nearly 12-15 per cent in the coming years. This upward trend is being driven by demographic ageing, evolving lifestyles, and environmental influences, with breast, lung, cervical, colorectal, and oralcancers among the most commonly reported.

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Yet beyond these numbers lies a more pressing concern: Cancer in India is still frequently diagnosed at advanced stages. By the time symptoms become apparent, the disease has often progressed significantly, limiting treatment effectiveness and survival outcomes

Screening approaches, while essential, remain largely organ-specific and constrained in reach. Conventional tumour markers, though clinically relevant in select contexts, are widely regarded as insufficiently specific for population-level screening, particularly among asymptomatic individuals.

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Screening enables the detection of cancer before symptoms appear, a stage at which outcomes are significantly more favourable and treatment interventions are more effective. Against this backdrop, the need for more comprehensive and accessible detection strategies has never been more urgent.

The Shield MCD test is a methylation-based blood test for the detection of multiple cancer types, including bladder, colorectal, breast, prostate, oesophageal, gastric, liver, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer in individuals aged 45 or older who are at typical average risk for cancer.

In the United States, the Shield MCD test has received Breakthrough Device Designation* from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration based on its strong performance in predicting the presence of cancers and cancer tissue of origin in the National Cancer Institute Vanguard Study evaluating emerging MCD technology.

Simranjit Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Guardant Health AMEA, said, "We are delighted to work with Dr Dangs through our partnership with Zydus Lifesciences to make the Shield Multi-Cancer Detection test more widely available in India.

Expanding access to screening is a meaningful step toward closing the gap in preventive care and bringing down the high mortality-to-incidence ratio of cancer that is currently observed in India today. With Dr Dang's longstanding presence and deep understanding of the localhealthcare landscape, we look forward to reaching more patients and providers across the country."

Underscoring the clinical impact, Dr Arjun Dang, CEO, Dr Dang's Lab, stated, "At Dr Dang's Lab, we have always believed in staying ahead of the curve, bringing the most advanced, clinically meaningful diagnostics to India. This collaboration with Guardant Health and Zydus Lifesciences represents a defining step in that journey. It demonstrates our responsibility towards our patients, our communities, and the future health of our nation. Our pan-India reach and home collection capabilities ensure that this breakthrough is not limited by geography, but truly democratised."

Dr Nitesh Rohtagi, Director of Oncology at Fortis Gurugram, commented, "Guardant Health's Multi-Cancer Detection (MCD) test brings the promise of multi-cancer detection through a minimally invasive liquid biopsy into real-world clinical practice.

By supporting a shift from predominantly late-stage diagnosis toward earlier-stage detection, where treatment is more effective and outcomes more favourable, this technology has the potential to significantly enhance detection pathways, enabling timely intervention and, ultimately, improved patient outcomes at a population level."

Speaking on this development, the Zydus Spokesperson, said, "As India's leading oncology company our focus has always been on advancing cancer care through science, access and timely intervention. Our partnership with Guardant Health and Dr. Dangs Lab brings an important blood-based detection test that can support earlier diagnosis and more informed treatment decisions. Alongside our companion diagnostics portfolio and awareness efforts, this strengthens our commitment to precision-led healthcare and to creating better possibilities for patients."

*The FDA Breakthrough Device designation referenced eight cancer types--bladder, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, liver, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer--in individuals aged 45 or older who are at typical average risk for cancer, as defined by the agency at the time of designation. This designation does not imply FDA approval, clearance, or endorsement of the device's safety or effectiveness.

*The Shield MCD test is a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) for export only and not for sale or use in the United States. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)