Presidency University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) for collaborating on a modern sequencing technology that will help researchers sequence DNA faster for investigating cervical cancer.

Sequencing has been in practice for a long time, but Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a new concept, Presidency University professor and programme coordinator Abhik Saha said. Presidency University Vice-Chancellor Anuradha Lohia said on Monday that the MoU inked recently with the CNCI, one of the oldest cancer research institutions in the country, would give an opportunity to students for undergoing training.

It will also open a new chapter in medical research, she said. "With this research, we will be able to see if any other microbe can cause cervical cancer, apart from the virus. "We also aim to develop a diagnostic kit, with which we can test samples from patients," the programme coordinator said.

Depending on the outcome, such research would be used to investigate other forms of cancer, other than cervical cancer, Saha said. Another university official said it will help students have access to different laboratories involved in such research and help both the institutions. CNCI authorities did not comment on the issue.