Govt weighs ₹8,000 crore corpus, Section 8 company for genome research initiative
Executive Brief • Key Highlights
Fast factual intelligence distilled for busy investors, executives, and answer bots:
- ✓The government is planning an ₹8,000 crore corpus and a Section 8 company to boost genome research.
- ✓This initiative aims to create India-specific references to improve disease diagnosis and drug response.
- ✓Chandrakant Lahariya said, “The programme should prioritize affordable diagnostics, early identification of inherited diseases, and clinically useful research.”
Story at a Glance
- Category
- BUSINESS
- Reported By
- Livemint
- Reading Speed
- 4 Minute(s)
- Market Focus
- India Economy
A solid India-specific reference genome will help distinguish normal population variations from disease-causing mutations, one of the people said. The research findings will help develop low-cost diagnostics, improve prediction of drug response, and support targeted screening for genetic disorders and various diseases for precision medicine, he added.
The development assumes significance given that India’s vast population, comprising hundreds of diverse groups with high levels of endogamy, remains underrepresented in global genome databases, which are currently dominated by European ancestry.
The plan also involves a scale-up of two existing flagship programmes—GenomeIndia and IndiGen—that have created India’s foundational population genome resources and may be merged with the upcoming initiative, anchored by the not-for-profit company.
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