‘Every cancer is different’: Manas AI's CEO Siddhartha Mukherjee on the search for a cure |HTLS 2026

Can cancer be cured with advances in immunotherapy, genetic sequencing and artificial intelligence? Manas AI CEO Siddhartha Mukherjee said a universal cure for cancer is unlikely in the foreseeable future, stressing that every cancer is different and responds differently to treatment. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026, Mukherjee highlighted significant progress against breast cancer, leukaemias and lymphomas, but said pancreatic cancer and several cancers affecting the stomach and intestinal tract remain major challenges. He pointed to the development of a KRAS-targeting drug as a significant breakthrough for pancreatic cancer and other cancers, noting that research into the drug target took around a decade. Mukherjee cautioned against the idea that all cancers could be cured through a single treatment, while acknowledging the progress being made in cancer research.