History

Dr. Vasant Ramji Khanolkar was probably the first MD (Pathology) in India who served as Professor in the Department of Pathology at the Grant Medical College, Bombay during 1930s and 40s. In 1940, he moved to ‘Tata Memorial Hospital’ a specialized cancer treatment hospital which was established from the generous funding from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. His inquiring and articulate mind assisted him in conceptualizing and developing – Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC) in 1952 and later in 1966 it was renamed as Cancer Research Institute (CRI). He was the founding Director of ICRC from 1952-1963. His areas of interest were not only diagnostic surgical pathology but also in biophysics, biochemistry, basic research in cancer, blood groups, Rhesus factor, erythroblastosis fetalis, genetic variations, habits, and customs in carcinogenesis and submucous fibrosis. His interest in ‘cytology of tumors’ and ‘contraception’ led to the formation of the Blood Group Reference Centre (BGRC) in 1957 which later became the National Institute of Immunohematology (NII) in KEM Hospital premises and the Institute for Research in Reproduction (IRR). He was the first Indian President of UICC from 1950 to 1954 and 1958 to 1962. For his remarkable contributions, Government of India awarded him the nation’s highest civilian honors – Padma Shri in 1954 and Padma Bhushan in 1955.

To strengthen the research activities of Tata Memorial Hospital, it was conceptualized to establish a new research institute to develop and to conduct post-graduate programs on all India basis. Dr. V. R. Khanolkar was appointed as the Director in Charge and the main research activities of the laboratories were transferred to the new building. The Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC) thus created was inaugurated on 30th December, 1952 and an agreement was drawn up in October 1953 between the Government and the trustees of Tatas. The building of the ICRC reminded one of cloisters in Europe in the Middle Ages. The establishment of the ICRC represented a unique public-private partnership between the government of India and the Tata Trusts. The inauguration of the centre was synchronized with the fifth session of the international cancer committee which was organized at TMH. Delegates from across 22 nations attended the session and witnessed the grand inaugural ceremony of the Centre. The Health Minister, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, on declaring the ICRC, said, it is the only one of its kind in the entire Asia, as a splendid example of national and international co-operation worthy of emulation.

In 1952 the Indian Cancer Research Centre was established as a pioneer research institute for basic research - later called the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) in the year 1966. In 1957 the Ministry of Health took over the Tata Memorial Hospital. The transfer of the administrative control of the Tata Memorial Centre (Tata Memorial Hospital & Cancer Research Institute) to the Department of Atomic Energy in 1962 was the next major milestone. The Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Institute merged as the two arms of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in 1966 as a classic example of private philanthropy augmented by Government support with a mandate for Service, Education & Research in Cancer.

The foundation stone for this campus - the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), located near the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain ranges in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, was formally laid in May 1997 by Dr. R. Chidambaram, Chairman, AEC and Secretary, DAE. In August 2002, in its 50 year, CRI moved in to from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai to become the basic research wing of TMC, and started functioning from its new premises at Kharghar. In December 2002, CRI celebrated its Golden Jubilee, with the pledge to 'not remain content' with its stature and recognition worldwide as the premier Indian institute conducting research on cancer, but to scale new heights at its ACTREC campus.

Today, ACTREC serves as a new state-of-the-art R&D satellite of TMC and has the specific mandate to function as a national centre for treatment, research and education in cancer. ACTREC, which at present comprises of the basic and clinical research wings and a 120-bed hospital, will carry out mission-oriented research and development on cancers prevalent in the Indian sub-continent, and where there are internationally competitive opportunities, will use state-of-the-art technology in partnership with TMH.