Genome India Project (GIP) [UPSC Notes]

The Genome India Project (GIP) is a national genome sequencing project to sequence 10,000 Indian genomes and create a database. The Ministry of Science and Technology approved an ambitious gene mapping project – Genome India Project in 2020. This is a mission-mode, multi-institution consortium project, the first of its kind in India supported by the Department of Biotechnology, GoI. Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and China have launched similar programmes to sequence at least 1,00,000 of their populations’ genomes. In this article, you will learn about the Genome India Project, a topic important for the IAS exam science and technology segment.

Genome India Project (GIP)

Genome India Project is a research initiative led by the Indian Institute of Science’s (IISC) Centre for Brain Research and involves 20 national institutes in an effort to gather samples, compile data, conduct research and create an ‘Indian reference genome’ grid. 

• The initiative is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, GoI. Phase 1 involves sequencing of 10,000 Indian genomes to arrive at a representative Indian genome.
• The Genome India initiative will pave the way for identifying genes and genetic variations for common diseases, treating Mendelian disorders (genetic disorders), enabling the transformation of the Precision Medicine landscape in India, and thus improving the healthcare of the general population in our country.

Genome India Project Status

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in April 2023 said that the exercise to sequence 10,000 Indian human genomes and create a database under the centre-backed ‘Genome India Project’ is about two-thirds complete. About 7000 Indian human genomes have been sequenced of which 3000 are available for public access by researchers.

What is the Importance of the Genome India Project?

• Efforts towards the identification of genes and genetic variations that are causes of many common diseases in the Indian population have been negligible, as a majority of the work on studying the human genome so far has focused on a more homogeneous population of European ancestry.
• India also has a very high burden of genetic disorders (also known as Mendelian disorders). Unfortunately, there is currently a very limited understanding of the genes responsible for many of these Mendelian disorders, thus limiting their accurate diagnosis. 
• The key reason is that there is no catalogue of genetic variations for Indians and their categorization into disease/non-disease-causing variations. Building this catalogue of genetic variations will pave the way for conducting better research on genetic disorders, and will also enable physicians to provide accurate diagnosis of genetic disorders at a much cheaper price in the near future.

Human Genome Project (HGP)

The Genome India Project is inspired by the Human Genome Project (HGP 1990-2003) – an international programme that led to the decoding of the entire human genome.

• HGP was a highly collaborative international effort that led to the first sequence of the human genome (92% of the human genome). It took 13 years (1990 – 2003) to produce a blueprint of the sequence of genes and spaces between genes that make up a typical human genome.
• The HGP generated 92% of the Human Genome sequence in 2003.
• The Human Genome Project released the latest version of the complete human genome in 2023 with a 0.3% error margin.
• The process of whole genome sequencing, made possible by HGP, now facilitates the reading of a person’s individual genome to identify differences from the average human genome.

Next Generation Sequencing

The Genome India Project is based on the Next-Generation Sequencing platform – the latest and the best in sequencing technologies to sequence the genomes of thousands of Indians, so that there is adequate representation in terms of geographical coverage, caste, tribal and linguistic groups. There are several methods of genome sequencing, but the most common is called next-generation sequencing (NGS).

• NGS allows for rapid, accurate, and cost-effective sequencing of large amounts of DNA.
• This project will help realise the dream of providing tailored medical treatments and prescribing drugs based on an individual’s genetic makeup, often referred to as Precision Medicine.

Genome Sequencing

The human genome is the entire set of DNA (Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid) present in the nucleus of every cell of each human body and carries the complete genetic information of the organism.

• DNA is a double-stranded molecule, composed of a sugar-phosphate backbone and nucleotide bases (Adenine – A, Thiamine -T, Guanine -T and Cytosine -C). Every base on one strand pairs with a complementary base on the other strand, A with T and G with C. A genome is made up of approximately 3.05 billion such base pairs.
• The sequence or order of base pairs is identical in all humans, compared to that of another species, there are differences in the genome of every human being that make them unique.
• The process of deciphering the order of base pairs, to decode the genetic fingerprint of a human is called genome sequencing.

Applications of Genome Sequencing

• Genome sequencing is used to evaluate rare disorders, pre-conditions for disorders, and even cancer from the viewpoint of genetics rather than as a disease of certain organs.
• Gene sequencing has been used to investigate genetic disorders/anomalies in foetuses (prenatal screening). The technology Crispr, which relies on sequencing, may potentially allow scientists to repair disease-causing mutations in genomes.
• Screening has been used to read the codes of viruses. In 2014, a group of scientists sequenced samples of Ebola from infected African patients to show how genomic data of viruses could reveal hidden pathways of transmission, which might be halted, thus slowing or even preventing the spread of infection.
• Genome sequencing of the Covid-19 virus led to the development of a vaccine and the creation of diagnostic PCR machines. India also put in place a sequencing framework, the Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia (INSACOG) was tasked with scanning coronavirus samples from patients. The sequencing was ramped up to track new variants as the virus evolved by undergoing mutations.

Genome India Project (GIP):- Download PDF Here