Established in 2005 as a partnership between the Institute of Cancer Medicine at the University of Oxford and India’s top nine comprehensive cancer centres, INDOX brings together many of the world’s leading oncologists and scientists in a unique global resource to support the advancement of new anti-cancer therapeutics from the laboratory into the clinic. 

INDOX is now India’s largest academic oncology network and has proven that Indian institutions have the ability to conduct high quality clinical and translational research.

Led by Professor David Kerr and Dr Raghib Ali at Oxford University, and Professor Vinod Raina at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, INDOX has a strong foundation in both basic research, studying disease at a molecular or cellular level, and in translational science – transferring the fruits of research into practical applications.

This productive dynamic of clinical research is enhanced by the Network’s extraordinary capacity for patient recruitment: collectively, INDOX’s nine Indian centres see about 100,000 new patients each year. The Network works closely with collaborators at every stage of the research process, to ensure that trials are designed to address the specific cancer needs of India.

INDOX is currently conducting a full range of trials in all common cancers, but particularly those which are more prevalent in India, such as cancers of the head and neck, cervical, gastric, gall bladder and oesophageal cancer, as well as breast and colorectal cancer.

INDOX is a unique example of how collaboration between Indian and Western academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry can benefit all parties involved.

Achievements so far

Since its foundation in 2005, INDOX has made significant progress towards its goals. In a relatively short space of time we have:

• Succeeded in bringing together, for the first time, India’s top regional cancer centres to focus their combined expertise and resources on the urgent fight against cancer.
• Expanded from our initial group of 6 sites to 9, demonstrating, through the enthusiasm of other centres to join us, how well we have established our reputation within the research community in India.
• Developed the ability of Indian centres to conduct Phase I trials.
• Supported the training, development and cost of employing dedicated INDOX Site Coordinators at each centre.
• Significantly reduced the attrition rate of junior doctors by providing training and fellowships with the support of the University of Oxford.
• Demonstrated that Indian centres can conduct clinical research to the highest internationally recognised ethical standards.