S&T Minister announces GenomeIndia flagship programme of 10,000 genome sequencing

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology (S&T), Dr Jitendra Singh recently announced the GenomeIndia Flagship Programme of 10,000 Genome Sequencing. Dr Singh described this as a watershed moment for India, as it will lead to genetic based remedies, besides giving a big boost to the public healthcare system in the country. In her address, Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, Dr Suchita Ninawe said that the “Reference Genome for Indian Population” created under the project will lead to a better understanding of the nature of diseases and specific interventions essential for various ethnic groups. The GenomeIndia will place India on the world map of genome research and will collectively facilitate future largescale human genetic studies for researchers across the globe. Joint Coordinators of the GenomeIndia, Prof. Y Narahari & Dr K Thangaraj said in their presentations that beyond the sheer scale of sequencing and establishing a Reference Genome, the creation of a biobank housing 20,000 blood samples at the Centre for Brain Research, coupled with data archiving at the Indian Biological Data Centre exemplify the project's commitment to transparency, collaboration, & future research endeavours.