Genome sequencing and the Genome India Project

Source: The post is based on the article “Genome sequencing and the Genome India Project” published in The Hindu on 26th April 2023

What is the News?

The Department of Biotechnology has said that the exercise to sequence 10,000 Indian human genomes and create a database under the Genome India Project is about two-thirds complete.

What is Genome Sequencing?

The human genome is the entire set of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) residing in the nucleus of every cell of the human body. It carries the complete genetic information responsible for the development and functioning of an organism. 

The DNA consists of a double-stranded molecule built up by four bases. While the sequence of base pairs is identical in all humans, there are differences in the genome of every human being that make them unique. 

The process of deciphering the order of base pairs, to decode the genetic fingerprint of a human is called genome sequencing.

What are the applications of Genome Sequencing?

Genome sequencing has been used to evaluate rare disorders, preconditions for disorders and even cancer from the viewpoint of genetics, rather than as diseases of certain organs. 

Nearly 10,000 diseases — including cystic fibrosis and thalassemia — are known to be the result of a single gene malfunctioning. 

In public health, sequencing has also been used to read the codes of viruses. One of its first practical usages was in 2014 when a group of scientists sequenced samples of Ebola from infected African patients to show how genomic data of viruses could reveal hidden pathways of transmission.

How did Genome sequencing help during the Covid-19 pandemic?

At the start of the pandemic, Chinese scientists sequenced the genome of a novel pathogen causing infections in the city of Wuhan. It was after this that virologists began evaluating the sequence to try and understand how to combat the virus.

India also put in place a sequencing framework — the Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia (INSACOG). This consortium of labs across the country was tasked with scanning coronavirus samples from patients and flagging the presence of variants known to have spiked transmission internationally.

What is the Genome India Project?

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has initiated the ambitious “Genome India Project” (GIP) in 2020.

The GIP aims to collect 10,000 genetic samples from citizens across India, to build a reference genome.

This project is led by the Centre for Brain Research at the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science, which acts as the central coordinator between a collaboration of 20 leading institutions.