Why in News?
Gujarat launched India’s first Tribal Genome Sequencing Project to enhance tribal healthcare by sequencing genomes of 2,000 individuals from 17 districts. The initiative aims to detect genetic disorders like sickle cell anaemia and develop personalized healthcare using genetic markers.
Description:
Launched by:
- Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology
- Launch Date: January 2020
Objective:
- Sequence whole genomes of 10,000 unrelated healthy Indians.
- Map India’s genetic diversity for better disease prediction, precision medicine, and public health planning.
Sample Collection:
- Total Individuals Sequenced: 10,074
- Analyzed Data: 9,772 genomes
- Population Groups: 83 total
- 30 tribal, 53 non-tribal
- Represented India’s major linguistic and ethnic groups.
- Sampling Strategy:
- Samples from 100+ locations
- Median: 159 samples/non-tribal group; 75 samples/tribal group
- Included parent-child pairs to detect de novo mutations
Key Genetic Findings:
- 180 million mutations identified
- 130 million in autosomes, 50 million in sex chromosomes
- 98% of genome is non-coding DNA
- Many variants found here — useful for evolutionary and disease studies
Impact of Endogamy:
- All 83 groups practice endogamy (marriage within the group)
- Led to population-specific mutations
- Helps trace ancestry, identify disease-linked variants
Medical Implications:
- Supports precision medicine tailored to Indian genomes
- Development of affordable diagnostic tools
- Enables early detection, prevention, and targeted treatment
- Fills gap in global studies that are largely Eurocentric
Key Institutions Involved:
- Centre for Brain Research, IISc Bengaluru
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad
- Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Delhi
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kolkata
- Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar
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