The government of India has recently unveiled its latest facility for housing health data across the country.
Based on a media release, the newly launched Phenome India National Biobank underpins a nationwide cohort study that will collect genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data from 10,000 individuals.
Located at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), it takes inspiration from the globally accessible UK Biobank.
WHY IT MATTERS
The Phenome India project intends to collect these data for a longitudinal study tracking health trajectories unique to the Indian population.
It would help researchers uncover disease patterns, gene-environment interactions, and responses to therapies. The biobank will also support the early diagnosis of diseases, enhance therapeutic targeting, and bolster efforts addressing chronic diseases and rare genetic disorders.
"Our conditions are complex and deeply heterogeneous. This is where the biobank becomes vital; it allows us to decode that complexity," explained Dr Jitendra Singh, India's science and technology minister.
Dr Singh expects the Phenome India biobank to provide "the kind of high-resolution" data to power projects developing AI-driven diagnostics and gene-guided therapies.
The S&T minister also regarded the opening of the national biobank as a step towards "a future where every Indian may receive individualised treatment tailored to their genetic makeup, lifestyle, and environment."
"This transition to personalised healthcare is no longer theoretical – it is becoming reality, driven by indigenous innovations," added Dr Singh, who is also the VP of India's CSIR.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
The launch of India's biobank follows the unveiling of the Indian Genomic Dataset early this year, which now provides public and global access to 10,000 whole genome samples for genomic research. The Indian government aims to sequence around 10 million genomes representing the Indian diversity.
These data projects add to efforts supporting research that enables precision medicine and personalised healthcare in India.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras, in February, introduced to the public its cancer genome database. It followed last year's launch of the first comprehensive cancer multi-omics database in the country, the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas, which was assembled by a consortium of public and private organisations.
In late 2022, the Indian government set up a national repository for life science data, the Indian Biological Data Center, which archives all life science data collected from publicly funded research in the country.
