Unlocking India’s Genetic Treasure: Precision Medicine Gets a Genomic Boost

India has reached a milestone in medical innovation with the initial genomic characterization of 10,000 people under the GenomeIndia Project. Initiated by the Department of Biotechnology in 2020, the project has sequenced the genetic makeup of 83 population groups that reflect India's wide linguistic and geographical diversity. The data released earlier this year is the nation's first large-scale population genome sequencing initiative.

 

More than 20 top institutes have already found thousands of distinct genetic variants, numerous of which were never documented in international research. The data-rich resource is likely to revolutionize disease diagnosis, facilitate predictions of drug sensitivity, and pave the way for precision medicine that suits Indian populations. By contrasting individual genomes with this new Indian reference, physicians can improve their comprehension of disease risk and create directed treatments.

 

The project also promises to reveal India's evolutionary past and population movements, and redress the historical underrepresentation of Indian genomes in international databases. Complete results and more profound insights are expected by the end of the year, marking a new dawn in Indian healthcare.

 

Source: NDTV