Genome India Initiative: Human Genome Cataloguing Project

India will launch its first human genome mapping project by October 2019, a move that will help researchers get closer to developing effective therapies for treating diseases such as cancer. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) plans to scan nearly 20,000 Indian genomes over five years and develop diagnostic tests that can be used for cancer.

Genome Sequencing Basics

  • A genome is the DNA, or sequence of genes, in a cell. Most of the DNA is in the nucleus and intricately coiled into a structure called the chromosome. The rest is in the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse.
  • Every human cell contains a pair of chromosomes, each of which has three billion base pairs or one of four molecules that pair in precise ways.
  • The order of base pairs and varying lengths of these sequences constitute the “genes”, which are responsible for making amino acids, proteins and, thereby, everything that is necessary for the body to function.
  • It is when these genes are altered or mutated that proteins sometimes do not function as intended, leading to disease such as cancer.
  • Sequencing a genome means deciphering the exact order of base pairs in an individual. This “deciphering” or reading of the genome is what sequencing is all about.

Highlights of the Programme

The first phase involves sequencing the genomes of nearly 10,000 Indians to capture the biological diversity of the country.

  • In the next phase, about 10,000 “diseased individuals” would have their genomes sequenced.
  • These data would be compared using machine learning techniques to identify genes that can predict cancer risk, as well as other diseases that could be significantly influenced by genetic anomalies.
  • These data would be compared using machine learning to identify genes that can predict cancer risk, as well as other diseases that could be significantly influenced by genetic anomalies.
  • 22 institutions, including those from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the DBT would be involved in the exercise.
  • The data generated would also be accessible to other researchers.

Impact

  • Cancer has now become one of the most prevalent non communicable diseases due to pollution and lifestyle change. There is a need for research in this domain to inculcate the habit of scientific living in harmony with environment.
  • India is a medical tourism destination and cancer research opens up a plethora of opportunities to generate health infrastructure in the country.

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