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100k GenomeAsia project and Genome sequencing
Why is it in news?
- A group of Indian scientists and companies are involved with a 100k GenomeAsia project, led out of the National Technological University (NTU), Singapore, to sequence the whole genomes of 100k Asians, including 50,000 Indians.
Significance of project
- India is planning a major mission to sequence the genes of a “large” group of Indians — akin to projects in the United Kingdom, China, Japan and Australia — and use this to improve health as well as buck a global trend of designing ‘personalised medicine.’
- This was among the key decisions taken at the 1st Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (STIAC) in its first meeting.
- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Biotechnology would be closely associated with the project.
- Ever since the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in 2009 announced that it had sequenced the genome of an Indian, then making India one of six countries to achieve such a feat, several research labs have analysed genes from Indians for disease susceptibility.
- However, no compendium of genes that differentiate Indian populations from, say Caucasian or African genomes exist.
Uses of genome sequencing
- Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of science focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes.
- A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Genomics also involves the sequencing and analysis of genomes through uses of high throughput DNA sequencing.
- Advances in genomics have triggered a revolution in discovery-based research and systems biology to facilitate understanding of even the most complex biological systems such as the brain.
- Cancer is caused by deleterious mutations that accumulate in the genome. Inherited genetic disorders arise due to mutations in DNA that are passed on at birth. Increased risk for developing breast cancer is linked to variations in genes such as BRCA1 in the genome. Sequencing an individual’s genome or the tumour genome and comparing it to a reference human genome has helped identify the differences that contribute to the disease. In many cases, it has the potential to help with treatment decisions.
- In pregnant mothers, the blood also contains DNA from the fetus.
- Scientists have developed methods that can sequence the cell-free DNA in mother’s blood to monitor the genetic health of a developing baby.
- The genomics revolution has enabled sequencing a large number of organisms including bacteria, plants and animals.
- While it has confirmed the common evolutionary origin of life on earth, it has provided the code for a number of life forms.
- Sequencing of plants including cereals like rice and wheat has set the stage for rapid crop improvement.
- Understanding genomes of livestock such as cattle and goats has created a rich resource of genetic variations that can be used to produce animals with superior traits.
Source
The Hindu