Aswini B | 24 December 2019
IndiGen is a CSIR funded pilot study to create an Indian population-specific dataset that enables identification and epidemiology of genetic diseases and to enable affordable carrier screening approaches in India.
The honourable minister of Science and technology, Earth sciences and health and family welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan announced the completion of 1008 genome sequencing on 25th October 2019 in a press meet. He said that “This is a historical moment. The whole-genome data would be important for building the knowhow, baseline data and indigenous capacity in the emerging area of precision medicine”. He further affirmed that the outcomes of IndiGen will have applications in many areas including faster and efficient diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. He added that epidemiology of genetic diseases to enable cost-effective genetic tests, carrier screening applications for expectant couples, enabling efficient diagnosis of heritable cancers and pharmacogenetic tests to prevent adverse drug reactions are some of the other benefits of this initiative. The project has performed the sequencing in 6 months.
DG CSIR, Dr Sekhar Mande mentioned in the press meet that “It is important to ensure that India, with its unparalleled human diversity, is adequately represented in terms of genomic data and develops the indigenous capacity to generate, maintain, analyze, utilize, and communicate large-scale genome data, in a scalable manner”.
“People in particular region suffer from rare genetic disorders which are difficult to treat because the cause is still unknown. Sequencing genomes of people living in those regions will help us identify the problems associated with the diseases and help in providing necessary treatment to the patients” Says Dr Rakesh Mishra, Director of CSIR-CCMB.
Multiple industrial partners are already showing interest in partnering with the project and are highly enthusiastic about taking it forward to benefit the public. “By partnering with the IndiGen 1000 Genome project we wish to bring accurate diagnostics to the people of India at an affordable price,” says Dr Vandana Lal, Executive director of Dr Lal PathLabs.
Mr Ishaan Khanna, Chief Executive Officer of LifeCell International Pvt. Ltd., says, “We have recently launched a rapid NGS test – genomescope for critically ill newborns. IndiGen 1000 genomes database – India's first genomic database, will certainly help us ensure that we provide the most accurate and comprehensive reports that will allow doctors to make best clinical decisions and bring relief to sick babies and their families”.
Mr Raj Prakash, CEO of ZIFO RnD Solutions says, “The 1000 genome program is a great enabler to build a vibrant ecosystem in the Indian genomics space. This program has created a rich national health data resource in India, which will not only help democratize the research but also provide possibilities to investigate a lot of unanswered health questions on Indian population at scale”.
“The IndiGen 1000 genomes will shed new light on common variants in the Indian gene pool that might otherwise be classified as variants of unknown significance”, says Dr Vidur Mahajan, Associate director of Mahajan imaging.
Dr Harsh Vardhan had highlighted the IndiGenome card and accompanying IndiGen mobile application that enables participants and clinicians to access clinically actionable information in their genomes. He emphasized that it ensures privacy and data security, which is vital for personal genomics to be implemented at scale.
A number of other genome-scale programmes are already in the anvil, including the GenomeIndia programme announced by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India which plans to sequence 10,000 Indian genomes. The IndiGen programme will surely benefit these programmes through the expertise, capability and knowhow to sequence and analyse population-scale genomes.
The IndiGen program is continuing to collect samples for genome sequencing. Potential volunteers, who wish to contribute to the programme, could register online at the IndiGen website https://indigen.igib.in/
IndiGen is a CSIR funded pilot study to create an Indian population-specific dataset that enables identification and epidemiology of genetic diseases and to enable affordable carrier screening approaches in India.
The honourable minister of Science and technology, Earth sciences and health and family welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan announced the completion of 1008 genome sequencing on 25th October 2019 in a press meet. He said that “This is a historical moment. The whole-genome data would be important for building the knowhow, baseline data and indigenous capacity in the emerging area of precision medicine”. He further affirmed that the outcomes of IndiGen will have applications in many areas including faster and efficient diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. He added that epidemiology of genetic diseases to enable cost-effective genetic tests, carrier screening applications for expectant couples, enabling efficient diagnosis of heritable cancers and pharmacogenetic tests to prevent adverse drug reactions are some of the other benefits of this initiative. The project has performed the sequencing in 6 months.
DG CSIR, Dr Sekhar Mande mentioned in the press meet that “It is important to ensure that India, with its unparalleled human diversity, is adequately represented in terms of genomic data and develops the indigenous capacity to generate, maintain, analyze, utilize, and communicate large-scale genome data, in a scalable manner”.
“People in particular region suffer from rare genetic disorders which are difficult to treat because the cause is still unknown. Sequencing genomes of people living in those regions will help us identify the problems associated with the diseases and help in providing necessary treatment to the patients” Says Dr Rakesh Mishra, Director of CSIR-CCMB.
Multiple industrial partners are already showing interest in partnering with the project and are highly enthusiastic about taking it forward to benefit the public. “By partnering with the IndiGen 1000 Genome project we wish to bring accurate diagnostics to the people of India at an affordable price,” says Dr Vandana Lal, Executive director of Dr Lal PathLabs.
Mr Ishaan Khanna, Chief Executive Officer of LifeCell International Pvt. Ltd., says, “We have recently launched a rapid NGS test – genomescope for critically ill newborns. IndiGen 1000 genomes database – India's first genomic database, will certainly help us ensure that we provide the most accurate and comprehensive reports that will allow doctors to make best clinical decisions and bring relief to sick babies and their families”.
Mr Raj Prakash, CEO of ZIFO RnD Solutions says, “The 1000 genome program is a great enabler to build a vibrant ecosystem in the Indian genomics space. This program has created a rich national health data resource in India, which will not only help democratize the research but also provide possibilities to investigate a lot of unanswered health questions on Indian population at scale”.
“The IndiGen 1000 genomes will shed new light on common variants in the Indian gene pool that might otherwise be classified as variants of unknown significance”, says Dr Vidur Mahajan, Associate director of Mahajan imaging.
Dr Harsh Vardhan had highlighted the IndiGenome card and accompanying IndiGen mobile application that enables participants and clinicians to access clinically actionable information in their genomes. He emphasized that it ensures privacy and data security, which is vital for personal genomics to be implemented at scale.
A number of other genome-scale programmes are already in the anvil, including the GenomeIndia programme announced by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India which plans to sequence 10,000 Indian genomes. The IndiGen programme will surely benefit these programmes through the expertise, capability and knowhow to sequence and analyse population-scale genomes.
The IndiGen program is continuing to collect samples for genome sequencing. Potential volunteers, who wish to contribute to the programme, could register online at the IndiGen website https://indigen.igib.in/