THE JOURNEY SO FAR AND THE ROADMAP AHEAD

Dear Reader, Current Covid times are introspection times, too. When the Human Genome Project was initiated in 1990, for determining the basic pairs that make up DNA and for identifying and mapping the entire genes of the human genome, the hue and cry made by the Indian NGOs kept India out of the project, at lease officially. Approximately, 20 research institutions globally, including some from China and Russia later, participated during the 13 years of the project, which concluded in 2003. The participating countries and institutions made major contributions and consequently became beneficiaries of great progress and major strides in genomic research. While China was already participating from 1990 and Russia joined in 2000, India realised the need and importance of moving into this field at the turn of the millennium. The 100K Pathogen Genome Project launched in 2012 in USA and the 100,000 Genomes Project, also of late 2012, by UK carried forward the genome project initiatives. The countries who took early initiatives were immensely benefited through major breakthroughs. For good (or bad?), China outpaced India in genomic research and was rewarded immensely through funding from major global investors. What about India? Better late than never. The DBT in India initiated the Genome India Project in January, 2020 with the aim of collecting a moderate 10,000 human genetic samples from across India to build a reference genome. Fortunately, the vociferous NGO lobbies have probably realised their folly in opposing the genome project participation by India in the 1990s and the Indian project of 2020 will hopefully progress.