The genome sequencing data of 10,000 Indians, sequenced from 99 distinct populations, will now be available for researchers to develop medicines tailored to the local population.
Launching the mammoth dataset — 8 petabytes of data stored at the Indian Biological Data Centre — Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday hailed the “milestone” in biotechnology research.
He said in a filmed address at the Genomics Data Conclave in New Delhi: “The Genome India project is an important step in the country’s biotech revolution. With this project, we will create a diverse genetic resource… India is not only diverse in geography, food, and culture, it is also diverse in genetic make-up. So, knowing the genetic identity of the country is important.”
Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh said the project will boost the biopharma sector and ensure that Indian diseases are treated with Indian remedies.
Importantly, the Department of Biotechnology also released a framework for sharing the highly sensitive dataset. “The data will be made available only through managed access — meaning it would be available only to research institutes that partner with us for the study,” said Dr Suchita Ninawe, senior scientist from Department of Biotechnology.
Researchers wishing to utilise the data will have to respond to a call for proposals and collaborate with the department. The research will be funded by the government.
On anonymising the data, Dr Ninawe said. “After the samples from different regions are collected and sequenced by one of the partner institutes, it would be encoded before being uploaded to the central database. When the data is shared further with those wishing to study it, it would be encoded once again. This is to ensure that there is no way for the anonymity to be breached.”
Approved by the government in 2020, the Genome India project looks to create a comprehensive catalogue of genetic variations found in the Indian population.
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