Our Correspondent
Imphal, Oct. 24 (EMN): For the first time among the Northeast states of India, the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) of the Indian Institute of Science(IISc), Bangalore in collaboration with Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD),Imphal is all set to undertake the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in order to develop personalised medicines by exploring genetic information while dealing with health issues of the population in future.
“This will help us to identify genetic disease burden of the people in the region,” says Director Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo of IBSD, a National Institute under Department of Biotechnology, Government of India while launching the Genome India project for NE states on Tuesday. “Besides it will help in exploring aged-related disorders which is a major concern as we spend 80 percent of income in buying medicine etc.”
The step has been taken up in the NE region which has more than 220 ethnic groups living in very diverse topographies, so that the economic burden in dealing with health issues could be reduced by personalised medicines which could be achieved by use of the genetic information, Sahoo felt. The Project will also lead to a new understanding of the different ethnic groups of India, which is a country with the highest diversity of ethnic groups, and which puts India in a unique position for the mapping of the human genome.
The initiative is to systematically document the genetic information from WGS for thousands of Indian individuals belonging to different geographical location and diverse population groups across the country, to facilitate genome wide association studies at a cheaper cost in India for any genetic disease or trait.
WGS is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome (an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes) at a single time. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism.
“We’re taken up the mapping and understanding of the human genome across the country including NE region to identify the mutation that exist in the population,” said Founder Chairperson Prof Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath of CBR, IISc, Bangalore, and former Director, National Brain Research Centre, Haryan. “By analysing, we can also establish what the genetic risk diseases so that we can take up public health measures.”
According to Prof Ravindranath, the brain behind the initiative, the study plans to cover around 2,000 individuals in NE region out of 10,000 across the country on a priority basis within three years time and it would continue for more years.
This will also develop a comprehensive data resource for population specific genetic variants and also enable development of personalised medicine, which would be more effective, with reduced side effects.
Scientists LV Prasad of Eye Institute, Hyderabad, Rajiv Gandhi of Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Institute of Life Sciences,Bhubaneswar, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics,Kalyani besides scientists from IBSD Imphal,IISc,Bangalore, were also present during the day’s programme.
A statement from IBSD also added that Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys has contributed Rs. 225 cr. for this project.
