India will be launching its first human genome mapping project by October. This move will help the researchers get closer to developing effective therapies for treating diseases like cancer.
The first phase of the project initiative called the Genome India project would catalogue the genomic data of 10,000 Indians. Dr Renu Swarup, secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) said that this move is going to be transformational in our healthcare since disease management is all about data these days. The DBT has initiated the project. “For new advancements in medical science like predictive diagnosis and precision medicine, genomic information is the key and the backbone,” he added. The DBT will build its own experience of genome cataloguing and join 22 partner organisations including public health institutions that have obtained regulatory ethical clearances. The investigators in hospitals will head the data collection by a simple blood test from the participants. The collected information will be added in the biobanks. Dr Swarup expects that the DBT will capture data from more than 10,000 people over the next three years and link them to biobanks and repository.
The DBT has started establishing diagnostic labs for genetic testing and counselling services and a programme to train clinicians to produce skilled personnel to set up more such labs. The department has also initiated an outreach programme to provide genetic diagnosis and counselling to families affected by common genetic disorders in certain districts. The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, was led by an international team of researchers looking to sequence and map all the genes of human beings. The Genome India project will aim to make predictive diagnostic markers available for some priority diseases such as cancer and other rare and genetic disorders, Dr Swarup added.
Several countries have embarked on mapping the genetic mark up of their population to better understand disease profiles. However, there are concerns about the use of genetic data. According to a report published in April by UK data consulting firm Ipsos MORI, there are clear limits for how far the public thought genomic data and the information derived from it should be used. Some of the red lines it raised were genetic engineering, use of genomic data to different groups within society, and predictive insurance tests and targeted marketing.
A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all its genes. It contains all the information needed to build and maintain that organism. By sequencing the genome, researchers can discover the functions of genes and identify which of them are critical for life.
Source: Economic Times.