The right expertise at the right time, for every patient
In Gurugram, India, a new Centre of Excellence for Myeloma & Lymphoma has opened at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, marking a deliberate departure from generalist oncology toward a model of deep specialization. Where blood cancer patients once navigated fragmented care across departments and institutions, they may now find genomicists, cellular therapists, and hematologists working in concert on a single case. The centre arrives at a moment when precision medicine is redefining what is possible in oncology, and its ambition to serve as a national referral hub places it at the intersection of individual suffering and systemic change.
- Blood cancers like myeloma and lymphoma have long demanded more than generalist oncology can offer, leaving patients to piece together specialized care across disconnected institutions.
- The new centre consolidates genomic profiling, CAR-T therapy, stem cell transplantation, and clinical research under one roof, collapsing the distance between diagnosis and the most advanced available treatment.
- Genomic mapping of individual tumors allows doctors to move beyond standard chemotherapy regimens and instead target the specific genetic architecture of each patient's disease.
- Positioned as a national referral hub, the facility will be tested against India's most complex and treatment-resistant cases — a high-stakes measure of whether its integrated model can deliver on its promise.
- Beyond patient care, the centre is designed to train the next generation of specialists and generate new clinical standards, embedding its influence into the future of Indian hematologic oncology.
Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram has launched what it describes as India's first Centre of Excellence for Myeloma & Lymphoma, built around a focused premise: that two of the most complex blood cancers deserve a dedicated home where every relevant discipline converges. The centre consolidates capabilities that have historically been scattered — advanced diagnostics, stem cell transplantation, CAR-T cellular therapies, genomic profiling, and clinical research — into a single integrated platform where specialists can collaborate in real time on individual cases.
Dr. Rahul Bhargava, who leads the institute's hematology and bone marrow transplant division, framed the launch as a response to the growing complexity of blood cancer care. He described the centre as functioning much like the bispecific antibodies now transforming oncology — bringing together distinct forces to achieve outcomes no single specialty could reach alone.
Central to the centre's philosophy is genomic profiling. Dr. Shrinidhi Nathany explained that mapping the molecular landscape of each patient's cancer — identifying specific mutations and genetic markers — allows clinicians to move beyond uniform treatment protocols. Personalized therapy selection, precise disease monitoring, and access to targeted clinical trials become possible when a patient's disease is understood at the genetic level.
The facility is positioned as a national referral hub for complex and treatment-resistant cases, a role that signals both confidence and accountability. Senior vice president Yash Rawat noted that the centre also carries an educational and research mandate — a place where new standards in hematologic oncology will be shaped and where younger physicians will train.
For patients with myeloma and lymphoma, diseases long associated with limited options and difficult prognoses, the centre represents a meaningful expansion of what is available within India. Whether it fulfills its ambitions will be measured over time, but the infrastructure and the institutional commitment are now in place.
Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram has opened what it calls India's first Centre of Excellence for Myeloma & Lymphoma, a dedicated facility built on a deceptively simple idea: one disease, one doctor, one focus. The centre represents a shift in how the country approaches two of the most complex blood cancers, moving away from generalist oncology toward a model where specialists in myeloma and lymphoma work alongside genomicists, pathologists, cellular therapists, and researchers under a single roof.
The facility brings together capabilities that have historically been scattered across different departments and institutions. Under one integrated platform, patients now have access to advanced diagnostic tools, precision medicine approaches, stem cell transplantation, CAR-T cellular therapies, and clinical research programs. The architecture is deliberate: rather than sending a patient from one specialist to another, the centre is designed so that experts in genomics, genetics, pathology, translational science, data analytics, hematology, radiation oncology, and cellular therapy can collaborate in real time on individual cases.
Dr. Rahul Bhargava, who leads the hematology and bone marrow transplant division at the institute, framed the launch as a response to the growing complexity of blood cancer care. He drew a parallel to bispecific antibodies—drugs that work by bringing immune cells and cancer cells into proximity—describing the centre itself as doing something similar: bringing together the brightest minds to achieve outcomes that no single specialty could achieve alone. The vision, he said, is to ensure that every patient receives the right expertise at the right moment, a principle that sounds straightforward but requires genuine institutional commitment to execute.
At the heart of the centre's approach is genomic profiling. Dr. Shrinidhi Nathany, a consultant in molecular hematology and oncology, explained that understanding each patient's disease at the molecular level—identifying specific mutations and genetic markers—allows clinicians to move beyond one-size-fits-all treatment. Instead of prescribing the same chemotherapy regimen to every myeloma patient, doctors can now map the genetic landscape of an individual's cancer and select therapies designed to target that specific disease. This precision also allows for more accurate disease monitoring and can connect patients to targeted drugs and clinical trials that might otherwise remain inaccessible.
The centre is positioned as a national referral hub, meaning patients from across India with complex or treatment-resistant myeloma and lymphoma cases may be directed here. That role carries both opportunity and responsibility. It signals that Fortis believes it has assembled the expertise and infrastructure to handle cases that have stumped other institutions, but it also means the centre will be tested against the hardest cases in the country.
Yash Rawat, senior vice president at the institute, emphasized that the launch reinforces Fortis's standing in advanced cancer and transplant care while contributing to clinical research and physician education. The centre is not purely a treatment facility; it is also positioned as a place where new standards of care in hematologic oncology will be developed, where younger doctors will learn, and where the field itself will advance.
For patients with myeloma and lymphoma—diseases that have historically carried poor prognoses and limited treatment options—the opening of such a centre represents a tangible shift in what is available within India's borders. Rather than traveling abroad for specialized care, patients now have a domestic option built explicitly around their disease. Whether the centre can deliver on its promise to improve outcomes and accelerate access to innovation will become clear over time, but the infrastructure and philosophy are now in place.
Notable Quotes
By fostering true multidisciplinary collaboration, we are creating an ecosystem where scientific discovery is rapidly translated into personalised treatment strategies.— Dr. Rahul Bhargava, Principal Director & Chief, Hematology, Hemato-Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant
Genomics is redefining blood cancer care by enabling us to understand each patient's disease at a molecular level.— Dr. Shrinidhi Nathany, Consultant, Molecular Hematology & Oncology
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that this is the first centre of its kind in India? Aren't there already oncology departments at major hospitals?
There are, but they're generalist. A hematology department might handle leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and a dozen other blood disorders. This centre says: we're going to know myeloma and lymphoma so deeply that we can do things others can't. It's specialization at a level that didn't exist here before.
What does genomic profiling actually change for a patient?
Instead of your doctor saying "you have myeloma, here's the standard treatment," they can now say "your cancer has these specific mutations, so we're using this drug that targets them." It's the difference between treating a disease and treating your disease.
Is this just marketing, or is there real clinical evidence that this approach works better?
The evidence exists in other countries—precision medicine has transformed outcomes in some cancers. But India hasn't had a centre dedicated to proving this works at scale here, with Indian patients, Indian genetics, Indian healthcare infrastructure. That's what this is trying to do.
Who benefits most from a centre like this?
Patients with treatment-resistant disease, or rare genetic subtypes that standard protocols don't address well. Also patients who can afford it—this is a private hospital. But the research they do here could eventually benefit everyone.
What's the real test of whether this succeeds?
Whether patients actually get better outcomes, and whether other hospitals start copying the model. If it's just a fancy name on a door, it fails. If it becomes the standard that other centres aspire to, it changes the field.