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COVER
STORY: HUMAN
GENOME
A
Piece Of The Action
India
is uniquely positioned to reap a windfall from genomics. But it must get
its act together.
It
is debatable whether India's decision not to participate in the Human
Genome Project was wise. But there is no doubt that it can benefit tremendously
from its results. Already 1,60,000 Indian scientists have accessed data
from the human genome database, according to the Wellcome Trust, reflecting
the amount of interest within the scientific community here. The reasons
are obvious-in a country where diseases like diabetes, cancer and tuberculosis
exact a heavy toll, the genetic sequences could provide important clues
to the mechanisms of these killers.
India is
uniquely positioned to play a star role in determining the functioning
of the genome. Says Lalji Singh, director, Centre for Cell and Molecular
Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad: "India has rich genetic diversity, some
5,000-odd anthropologically well-defined human populations." Studying
the small genetic variations among these groups could provide a wealth
of knowledge about what makes human beings different. But Singh warns,
"We cannot afford to miss the race to tap the technologies to provide
better healthcare."
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Lalji
Singh, Director, CCMB
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J.M.
Khanna
President (R&D), Ranbaxy
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"We
must not miss the race to tap technologies for better healthcare."
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"We
must build expertise
to take advantage of the genome." |
Genomics
requires intensive funding so a developing country like India must focus
on its needs. "What India needs on priority is a life sciences policy,"
says Singh. J.M. Khanna, president (research and development), Ranbaxy
Laboratories, agrees. "We must build capabilities. We must build
expertise, create labs and infrastructure to take full advantage of the
genome," he emphasises. India's leadership in it could come in handy-especially
in the field of bioinformatics, which is the marriage of genetics and
it.
To ensure
that India is not left behind, action needs to be immediate. "Science
never waits for anybody," says Singh. In the wake of the publications
of the human genome, Union Health Minister C.P. Thakur has allocated Rs
25 crore and promised another Rs 75 crore for 120 genome-based projects.
But that could be a case of too little, too late. Only a few premier institutions
have the resources for such projects. "It's not enough," says
Khanna, "The Government has to come forward to fund research to create
knowledge that will take us forward." According to Singh, setting
up of DNA banks across the country would allow large-scale genotyping
that could provide essential information to the medical community for
treatment of diseases.
The pharma
sector, in the meantime, is moving ahead to take advantage of the human
genome. Nicholas Piramal announced its plans to move towards functional
genomics a few months ago. Ranbaxy will also be creating bioinformatics
facilities to support its drug discovery programmes. IT companies have
also shown interest in the developments in the genome. Satyam is to join
hands with CCMB to develop software that makes analysis of the genome
much easier. Premier institutions like CCMB are also looking to the future,
which is proteomics, the study of proteins. If policy makers act wisely,
that might be the next knowledge frontier conquered by Indians.
-Amarnath K. Menon
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