IIT Madras, LSU Health New Orleans Forge Global Healthcare Research Alliance

By siliconindia | Thursday, 14 August 2025, 15:50 Hrs

IIT Madras and LSU Health New Orleans sign MoU to collaborate on healthcare research, technology, and innovation.
Partnership combines IIT-M’s engineering and innovation strengths with LSU’s clinical and cancer research expertise.
Focus on genomics, AI apps, low-cost diagnostics, medical devices, and student-faculty exchanges to drive global healthcare solutions.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has forged a strategic alliance with LSU Health New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO), USA, to drive research and technology-driven solutions in the healthcare of the world. The partnership aims to leverage LSU Health's clinical and translational research strength and IIT Madras's experience in engineering, informatics, and innovation.

Formalized by a memorandum of understanding signed between the senior leaders of the two institutions, namely Dr. Demetrius J. Porche, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, LSUHSC-NO; Dr. Lucio Miele, Director, LSU-LCMC Cancer Center; Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras; and Prof. Himanshu Sinha from the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras.

LSU Health New Orleans Chancellor Dr. Steve Nelson noted the partnership aligns directly with the university's aspiration to secure National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation for the LSU-LCMC Health Cancer Center. "By marrying our clinical strengths with IIT Madras's technology advancements, we are creating a formidable platform to translate discoveries from bench to bedside and enhance health outcomes in Louisiana and globally," he added.

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The partnership will draw on LSU Health's seven centres of excellence and its growing cancer research environment, as well as IIT Madras's innovation ecosystem, including its Research Park that accommodates more than 200 startups spread over 1.2 million sq ft of space. Joint teams will perform genomics and health research, and invest in developing scalable products like AI-based apps, low-cost diagnostic tests, and intelligent medical devices with the potential to fill affordability and access gaps.A key aspect of the collaboration is the student and faculty exchange between the two institutions.

These scholarly and entrepreneurial interactions will boost collaboration, generate collaborative research products, and develop a talent pipeline of innovators that can handle new healthcare issues.According to Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, the collaboration bridges technology development in India and clinical application in the US. "Combining our technology-driven innovation with LSU Health New Orleans's research and clinical presence in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast creates a path for ideas to get translated into global health solutions", he added.

The partnership is expected to place LSU Health New Orleans among the top 50 academic health centers in the US by 2030, while also further intensifying IIT Madras's global reach in health research and applied innovation. Both institutions have expressed intentions to widen their collaborative efforts into other biomedical disciplines in the future.

For IIT Madras, which has featured as India's number one university for nine years running, the partnership is another move towards replicating its model of innovation through global partnerships. For LSU Health New Orleans, it opens up a platform to enhance cancer research and international outreach. Collectively, the institutions seek to facilitate a new generation of affordable, technology-facilitated healthcare solutions with worldwide reach.