Syllabus: GS3: Science and Technology – Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.
Context:
Recently, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, inaugurated the Phenome India National Biobank and the country’s first longitudinal population health study.
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- It has been launched under Phenome India Project.
- It is a major step towards creating India’s health database and advancing personalised treatment.
- The pan-India longitudinal study was conducted with an aim to develop an enhanced prediction model for cardio-metabolic disease, especially diabetes, liver diseases and cardiac diseases.
- These tools are expected to transform clinical decision-making, support public health policy and optimise resource allocation in India’s overburdened healthcare system.
Key Features of the National Biobank
- It will serve as the backbone of a nationwide cohort study, collecting comprehensive genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data from 10,000 individuals across India.
- Drawing inspiration from UK’s Biobank Model, Indian version is tailored to capture the country’s unique diversity across geography, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds.
- The initiative will support early diagnosis, targeted treatments, and better management of diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and rare genetic disorders.
Phenome India Project
- Also known as Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CHeCK), is a flagship initiative by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in India launched in 2023.
- It focusses to assess risk factors in Non-communicable (cardio-metabolic) Diseases within the Indian populace.
- It aims to create a comprehensive phenome database tailored to the Indian population, promoting a Predictive, Personalised, Participatory, and Preventive (P4) healthcare model.
- It will help scientists uncover disease patterns, gene-environment interactions, and response to therapies all within the Indian context.
Health challenges
- High prevalence of central obesity: Past research has shown that seemingly lean Indians may carry disproportionate fat around their waist, underlining the need for population-specific health strategies.
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR): AMR occurs when microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve mechanisms that allow them to survive and multiply in the presence of drugs designed to kill or inhibit them.
- CRISPR research and the AMR fight show India’s growing leadership in biotech. The Biobank will boost these efforts by providing high-resolution data for AI diagnostics and gene-based therapies.
- The Union Minister called for deeper collaboration between research institutions, government departments like the Department of Biotechnology, and industry partners, particularly in areas such as AMR and drug development.
CSIR-Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB)
- CSIR-IGIB is a premier Institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), engaged in research of national importance in the areas of genomics, molecular medicine, bioinformatics and proteomics.
- It is the first institute in India to begin decoding the human genome at a time when sequencing tools were practically non-existent.
- IGIB’s research now extends to domains like space biology and AI-based pilot fitness assessments in collaboration with the Indian Air Force.
- Achievements:
- Development of over 300 genetic diagnostics for rare disorders.
- Extensive work on COVID-19 genome sequencing.
- The launch of India’s first drug genome project.