Why in the News?
Gujarat has launched India’s first Tribal Genome Sequencing Project to map tribal genetic data, contributing to the national Genome India Project (GIP).
About the Gujarat Tribal Genome Project:
- Launch & Duration: Announced in Gujarat’s 2025–26 budget; spans 5 years under Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC).
- Target Population: Focuses on genome sequencing of tribal communities forming ~15% of Gujarat’s population (~1 crore).
- Objective: Addresses under-representation in Genome India Project (GIP), which had only ~100 tribal samples from Gujarat.
- Sample Size: Involves 4,158 individuals, including 378 trio families, to create a 2,000-sample reference genome panel.
- Data Collection: Includes blood, stool, genealogical, physiological, and lifestyle information.
Key Features:
- Precision Medicine Applications
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- Early Detection: Enables screening for sickle cell anaemia, G6PD deficiency, BRCA-linked cancers.
- Gene-Trait Mapping: Explores genetic links to traits like agility and archery.
- Genomic Sampling Protocol
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- Filtering: Uses SNP genotyping to remove closely related samples.
- Sequencing: Conducts Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) on 2,000 diverse samples via Illumina NovaSeq 6000.
- Data Security: Employs double encryption for privacy and anonymity.
About the Genome India Project (GIP):
- Launch: Initiated in January 2020 by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
- Structure: Multi-institutional consortium involving top Indian research bodies.
- Objectives
- Diversity Mapping: Decode genetic variation across Indian population.
- Reference Panel: Build Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) -based haplotype database for Indian genomes.
- Biobank Creation: Establish DNA reserves for research and therapy development.
- Key Achievements
- Sequencing Scale: 10,074 genomes sequenced from 99 ethnic groups.
- Data Storage: Securely stored at Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC), Faridabad.
- Insights: Revealed rare traits aiding affordable diagnostics and predictive tools.
- Significance
- Global Impact: Offers India-specific insights to global genomics research.
- Healthcare Value: Enables evidence-based, genetically informed policy and diagnosis.
| [UPSC 2017] With reference to agriculture in India, how can the technique of ‘genome sequencing’, often seen in the news, be used in the immediate future?
1. Genome sequencing can be used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in various crop plants 2. This technique helps in reducing the time required to develop new varieties of crop plants 3. It can be used to decipher the host-pathogen relationships in crops Select the correct answer using the code given below: Options: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
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