First Indigenous Tumour Antigen of India

07 June 2021 Current Affairs:SPAG9, India’s First Indigenous Tumor Antigen, has been trademarked by DBT-NII.

Highlights:
♦ Dr. Anil Suri, who heads the Cancer Research Program at NII (National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi), discovered India’s first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 in 1998. 
♦ The Department of Biotechnology funds the Cancer Research Program (DBT).
♦ The SPAG9 antigen has been given the trademark ASPAGNIITM.
♦ ASPAGNIITM is being used for dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy for cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer.