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Source-This post on Genome India Project has been created based on the article “Creating India’s genetic map” published in “The Indian Express” on 29 February 2024.
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News-The article highlights the significance of genome sequencing.
Background– The government’s Genome India initiative has recently announced successful sequencing of 10,000 whole genomes of healthy persons from across the country, creating a genetic map of the population.
What is Genome sequencing?
Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the order of Adenine, Cytosine, Guanines, and Thymine that make up an organism’s DNA.
The human genome is made up of 23 chromosomes pairs with a total of about 3 billion DNA base pairs.
How is it sequenced?
1) Researchers first extract the information from the blood to sequence the genome.
2) Scientists cut 3 billion pairs into small pieces and tag because a complete sequence of 3 billion pairs would be extremely hard to handle.
3) The A, C, G, T code of these smaller chunks are written down by a DNA sequencer and then the complete sequence is put together.
Read more: Genome Sequencing in context of Coronavirus epidemic.
What is Genome India Project (GIP)?
1) Description-It is a scientific initiative inspired by the Human Genome Project (HGP), an international effort that successfully decoded the entire human genome between 1990 and 2003.
2) Objective-It was started in 2020 to better understand the genetic variations and disease-causing mutations specific to the Indian population, which is one of the most genetically diverse in the world.
3) Partners-It involves the collaboration of 20 institutions across India and is being led by the Centre for Brain Research at IISc in Bangalore.
4) Findings-Researchers have analyzed 5,750 of the genome sequences and have already identified 135 million genetic variants found in India.
What is the significance of Genome India Project (GIP)?
1) Understanding genetic history-A map of genetic diversity is essential for understanding the history of our evolution, discovering the genetic basis for various diseases, and creating therapies of the future.
2) Identification of distinct genetic makeup-India with population of 1.4 billion has more than 4,600 distinct groups.
Endogamy (marrying within the same community) is quite common in India so various groups have been able to maintain their distinct genetic makeup. This can help in understanding the impact of genetic variations on physical health.
3) Precision Healthcare-It can help in targeted treatments, especially for rare diseases that usually arise from genetic anomalies. It can help develop new therapies that can cure these diseases
For ex- the under-development mRNA vaccine which will be used to prevent relapse of pancreatic cancer.
4) Identification of resistance-indicating variants-It can help in identifying resistance-indicating variants. These variants genes might make certain medicines or anesthetics ineffective in certain populations.
For example- Vaishya community from South India lack the gene for properly processing common anesthetics.
Question for practice:
Discuss the significance of Genome India Project for addressing genetic diseases?
