Reliance's Strand Life Sciences bags Indian patent for AI-based blood cancer detection

Reliance Industries Ltd's subsidiary, Strand Life Sciences, has secured an Indian patent for an artificial intelligence-enabled blood-based technology designed to detect cancer at an early stage, marking a significant addition to its precision oncology portfolio.

The Bengaluru-based genomics company said on Monday that the patent covers an integrated platform that analyses cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from a blood sample using genome sequencing, methylation profiling, fragmentomics and machine learning algorithms to detect the presence of cancer and predict its tissue of origin.

The technology aims to provide a minimally invasive alternative for early cancer screening at a time when a large proportion of cancer cases in India continue to be diagnosed at advanced stages.

Focus on scalable early screening

According to the company, more than 1.5 million new cancer cases are estimated to occur in India every year, while existing guideline-based screening programmes cover only a limited range of cancers and remain difficult to scale. Strand said declining genome sequencing costs could make its patented platform suitable for large-scale deployment without requiring extensive local infrastructure.

A key innovation covered under the patent is a method to accurately derive genome-wide methylation patterns through sequencing with minimal loss or failure, enabling more sensitive detection of cancer at an early stage.

"Early detection is an increasingly relevant topic as cancer is becoming one of India's greatest public health challenges. This patent reflects our commitment to developing scientifically rigorous, AI-enabled liquid biopsy technologies that can help detect cancer earlier from a simple blood sample. We believe this innovation represents an important step towards making precision cancer screening more accurate, scalable, and accessible," said Ramesh Hariharan, Chief Executive Officer of Strand Life Sciences.

The company said the patent further strengthens its intellectual property portfolio in liquid biopsy technologies and aligns with its strategy of developing integrated AI-enabled molecular diagnostics for early cancer detection and precision oncology.

Strand Life Sciences, a spin-off from the Indian Institute of Science and now a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, provides genomics-based research and diagnostic services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare companies. The company is also expanding its capabilities in integrated multi-omics to support research, drug development and precision medicine.