Science with Compassion: Frontiers of Antibody Engineering, Immuno-Oncology and Gene Therapies for All

Non-communicable diseases, cancer and other complex lifestyle diseases continue to rise in India. The latest national estimates suggest ~1.56 million new cancer cases in 2024, with nearly 8,74,000 deaths, underscoring the need for earlier detection and more effective, targeted therapies.

At the same time, treatment costs remain prohibitive for many families. Although India’s out-of-pocket share of total health spending has declined in recent years, it still represents a very large burden. Government data show Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) has fallen from 62.6% to 39.4% of total health expenditure by 2021–22, which is progress, yet the remaining financial load still pushes households toward distress and drop-outs from care.

The promise of immunotherapy and precision medicines is real, but their price tags can be staggering. Common checkpoint inhibitors in India such as pembrolizumab or nivolumab often cost ₹1.8–5.0 lakh per dose, with multiple cycles required. For many families, that is simply out of reach.

Cell and gene therapies are transforming outcomes globally, yet access in low- and middle-income countries faces steep barriers in cost and infrastructure. Consider benchmark prices: Zolgensma for spinal muscular atrophy is priced around €1.9 million for a one-time treatment, while Luxturna for inherited retinal dystrophy costs about US$850,000. Such figures highlight why equitable models are urgently needed.

India’s first indigenous CAR-T therapy, NexCAR19, developed with public-sector and academic partners, brings the cost down dramatically, with estimates in the US$30,000–50,000 range, roughly ₹25–40 lakh, compared with US prices exceeding US$400,000. Local manufacturing and scalable processes show how science, policy and philanthropy can close affordability gaps.

The message is clear. The science is advancing quickly, the need among underprivileged communities is profound, and we must redesign delivery and financing so that cures do not remain the privilege of a few.

Dr C. N. Ramchand and Padma Bhushan Dr T. Ramasami had earlier visited Sathya Sai Grama and the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR). What they witnessed was simple and powerful: world-class, evidence-based healthcare, completely free of charge, delivered with dignity to anyone who walks in, regardless of background. Seeing a multi-speciality system where advanced diagnostics, surgery and critical care are offered without billing the patient left a deep impression on our visitors.

They also saw how this model extends beyond one campus, into a broader humanitarian health network that includes paediatric cardiac centres and outreach clinics serving India and multiple countries. The conviction they carried back was that excellent care can be free when compassion, systems design and stewardship of resources work together.

The symposium translated that inspiration into action. In plenary sessions and working huddles, participants outlined practical routes to democratise high-end therapies so that the poorest patient need not choose between treatment and bankruptcy.

What emerged as priority pathways:

• Indigenisation and technology transfer, so India can design, validate and manufacture complex biologics, antibodies and cell therapies at scale.
• Cost-engineering across the value chain, from local bioprocessing and cold-chain optimisation to pooled procurement of inputs and open-protocol standardisation.
• Public-interest clinical research, focusing on LMIC-relevant indications and inclusive trials.
• Equity-oriented financing, blending philanthropy, mission-driven capital and government insurance, so that advanced treatments are treated as a need, not a luxury.
• Capacity building, with hands-on training for clinicians, nurses, pharmacists and biomedical engineers.

In his address, Dr T. Ramasami emphasised science in service of society and the imperative to build institutions that deliver inclusive outcomes. Dr C. N. Ramchand convened dialogues that linked discovery to delivery, encouraging collaborations between academia, startups and care-delivery institutions to translate breakthroughs into bedside impact.

• Strategic Aim: The symposium advanced the plan to establish a world-class Genomics Centre at Sathya Sai Grama, an end-to-end translational facility to discover, develop, manufacture and clinically evaluate modern immunotherapies with a focus on affordability and regulatory speed.
• Dr Karthik Ramesh: Welcomed the gathering and hailed the meeting as a foundation for a revolutionary approach to healthcare that will redefine how we understand and decode the human being, achievable only through collaboration and collective wisdom. He highlighted how AI is transforming genomic medicine, with the upcoming facility poised to be pivotal in next-generation sequencing (NGS) for translational medicine, turning scientific theory into life‑saving treatment.
• Dr C. N. Ramchand: Emphasised the significance of NGS and next‑generation immunotherapy for efficient diagnostics and personalised, public and precision medicines, calling these pathways essential for healthcare equitability for all.
• Keynote – Prof. T. Ramasami: Urged a shift from competitive excellence to collaborative excellence so that precision medicines become accessible, affordable and available to all without discrimination.
• Dr M. Ayyappan (SAGENOME): Framed Genomics, Wellness and Personalised Medicine as the “trinity of next‑generation healthcare,” applauding Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai and the One World One Family Mission for ensuring that healing remains pure, unconditional and accessible.
• Attendance & Reach: 500+ attendees (physicians, researchers, policymakers and industry leaders) from India, Canada, the United States and other countries participated in a hybrid format, in person at Sathya Sai Grama and via a global YouTube livestream, building momentum for collaborations serving underserved communities.
• International Speakers: Highlights included Dr Sachdev Sidhu (frontiers in antibody engineering), Dr Shane Miersch (pioneering phage display platforms) and Dr Ron Geyer (immuno‑oncology). Dr C. N. Ramchand outlined a schema for bridging discovery to therapy in India, energising participants around translational medicine.
• Founder’s Message – Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai: “This gathering has ignited a collective commitment to making cutting‑edge medicine available to all, regardless of economic barriers… By making immunotherapy accessible for every patient who needs it, without discrimination, we can create a world of equality, fairness and justice for all.”
• Humanitarian Ethos: Beyond science, the event embodied a humanitarian campaign aligned with the Institute’s vision to provide free‑of‑charge healthcare, education and nutrition to millions worldwide, a catalyst for moving from discovery to recovery through cross‑border, patient‑centred collaboration.

As part of the symposium’s follow-through, expert groups are aligning around pilot projects that can lower the real-world cost of select antibody and cell therapies, create context-appropriate clinical pathways, and embed affordability from day one. The goal is not to do more of the same, only cheaper. The goal is to reimagine how frontier medicine is discovered, made and delivered, so that a child in Chikkaballapur, or a mother in rural India, can access the very best care without a bill.

This is the spirit of One World, One Family in healthcare. When knowledge is shared, when hearts are open, and when systems are designed for inclusion, advanced medicine becomes a public good. Today’s gathering at Sathya Sai Grama reaffirmed that science and service belong together, and that together we can build a future where the most advanced treatments are free for those in need.