AIIMS starts Validation Study of Indigenous HPV Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, causing one death every two minutes. In India, it is the second most common cancer in women. According to GLOBOCAN 2022, an estimated 663,301 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 348,874 women died from the disease. In India, there are approximately 127,526 new cases and 79,906 deaths per annum. Cervical cancer is preventable and can be treated if detected in precancerous or early stages.  Persistent infection with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) has been found to be the necessary cause of cervical cancer. India is committed to achieve a cervical cancer free world, as envisaged by the World Health Organisation. For this, we need to screen 70% of women (35-45 years) and vaccinate 90% of girls against HPV by 2030. Presently, HPV tests are expensive and need elaborate laboratory set ups, therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and validate low-cost, point of care indigenous HPV tests, which can detect the major cancer-causing HPV genotypes in the Indian population. With this vision, this multi-centre study has been started with the support of DBT-BIRAC Grand Challenges India in collaboration with WHO’s International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC). The testing will be performed at AIIMS, New Delhi, NICPR Noida and NIRRCH Mumbai. Director AIIMS Dr. Srinivas inaugurated the programme in a hybrid meeting at Dr. BRAIRCH in the presence of IRCH Chief Prof Sushma Bhatnagar, Dean Research Prof. JS Titiyal, Mission Director Grand Challenges India Birac Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee and study investigators Prof Neerja Bhatla, Dr Shalini Singh, Dr Seema Singhal, Dr Pranay Tanwar, Dr Showket Hussain, Dr Anushree Patil, Dr Vikrant Bhor and others. This landmark project will allow validation of Make in India HPV tests for cervical cancer screening by international quality standards and will benefit millions of women in India and other LMICs to get rid of the scourge of cervical cancer.