Genome India Project

WHY IN NEWS?

Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology has approved an ambitious gene-mapping project called the Genome India Project (GIP).

GENOME:

• A genome, simply put, is all the genetic matter in an organism. It is defined as an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes.
• Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism. In humans, a copy of the entire genome - more than 3 billion DNA base pairs- is contained in all cells that have a nucleus.

HUMAN GENOME PROJECT:

• It was an international programme that led to the decoding of the entire human genome.
• Beginning on October 1, 1990 and completed in April 2003, the HGP gave us the ability, for the first time, to read nature’s complete genetic blueprint for building a human being.
• HGP has a major diversity problem as most genomes (over 95%) mapped under HGP have been sourced from urban middle-class white people. Thus, HGP does not really represent the human genome.

GENOME INDIA PROJECT:

• The Genome India Project is inspired by the Human Genome Project. It is being spearheaded by the Centre for Brain Research at Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science as the nodal point of about 20 institutions, each doing its bit in collecting samples, doing the computations, and then the research.
• Its aim is to ultimately build a grid of the Indian “reference genome”, to understand fully the type and nature of diseases and traits that comprise the diverse Indian population.

• It also aims to address the diversity problem in the HGP by adding to the available information on the human species and advance the cause, by utilizing the diversity found in India:
  • Horizontal Diversity: The Indian subcontinent has been the site of huge migrations. There have been periodic migrations by various populations from all around the world, making this a very special case of almost all races and types intermingling genetically.
  • Vertical Diversity: Endogamy or inter-marriage practiced among distinct groups has resulted in unique traits being inherited.
• The mega project hopes to form a grid after collecting 10,000 samples in the first phase from across India, to arrive at a representative Indian genome.
• Studying and understanding both diversities would provide the bedrock of personalized healthcare for a very large group of persons on the planet.

BENEFITS OF GENOME SEQUENCING:

• Precision Healthcare:
  • GIP will help in the development of personalized medicine, anticipating diseases and modulating treatment according to the genome of patients.
  • For example, the cardiovascular disease generally leads to heart attacks in South Asians, but to strokes in most parts of Africa. If such propensities to disease can be mapped to variations across genomes, it is believed that public health interventions can be targeted better, and diseases anticipated before they develop.
• Discovery of new Species and resources:
  • It is believed that there of the 2-3 million eukaryotic species on the planet, only about half have been identified so far. Sequencing can help identify many of these hidden faunal and floral varieties.
  • It can also lead to the discovery of new drugs, new biofuels, and boost agricultural technologies, with obvious commercial benefits. It will be possible to develop disease, insect and drought resistant crops.
• Saving Biodiversity:
  • Genome Sequencing help record the genomes of organisms at risk. Given Climate Change and related worries of Sixth Great Extinction, genome sequencing could provide a solution to conservation efforts.
• International Cooperation:
  • Global science would also benefit from a mapping project in one of the world’s most diverse gene pools. The project is said to be among the most significant of its kind in the world because of its scale and the diversity it would bring to genetic studies.

CHALLENGES:

• Fear of Scientific Racism:
  • The question of heredity and racial purity has obsessed civilizations throughout history. More scientific studies of genes and classifying them could reinforce stereotypes and allow for politics and history to acquire a racial twist.
  • In India, a nation divided by identity politics, scientific work in mapping genetic groups may further strengthen the divisions in the society based on the prevalent notion of race.
• Data & Storage:
  • After collection of the sample, the anonymity of the data and questions of its possible use and misuse would need to be addressed.
  • India is yet to pass a Data Privacy Bill with adequate safeguards and launching the GIP before the privacy question is settled could give rise to another set of problems.
• Medical Ethics:
  • In a project that aims only to create a database of genetic information poses a risk of doctors privately performing gene modification.
  • Selective breeding or Eugenics has always been controversial for long. Recently a Shenzhen-based scientist, created the world’s first gene-edited babies, has been sentenced to three years in prison.
• Lack of sufficient legal frameworks:
  • Legislative measures to regulate the biotechnology environment in India is still in the nascent stages of development. Hence, it can create fears to malpractices and inefficient regulations.

CONCLUSION:

• Genome India Project provides an opportunity for India to make leap and bounds progress in the fields of biotechnology, agriculture and healthcare. Thus, it should be carried with maximum speed and maximum caution.
• However, effective safeguards must be kept in place to prevent misuse of the data. For the same, legislative measures such as the data protection bill and DNA technology regulation bill need to be enacted.
• India should also use this platform to boost its biotechnology initiatives. Effective coordination between academia, research agencies, institutions and pharma companies should be ensured so as to make the most out of the Genome India Project.

Practice Question

Q. What is a genome? Discuss the significance of Genome India Project?