Dr. Jitendra Singh Launches National Biobank, Population Study at CSIR
Science and Technology
4 min read
In a significant step towards developing the country's data bank for research on cardio-metabolic diseases, a state-of-the-art Phenome India ‘National Biobank’ was inaugurated in New Delhi. The National Biobank was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh.
The Biobank has been established under the longitudinal health monitoring project, Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase' (PI-CheCK) of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Where has the Biobank been set up?
The Biobank has been set up at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi.
The Indian Biobank has been set up on the model of the United Kingdom Biobank.
Presently, the Biobank has genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data of 10,000 individuals across India.
What is Project PI-CheCK and Its Importance
The CSIR launched Project PI-CheCK on 7 December 2023 to assess the risk factors associated with non-communicable (cardio-metabolic) diseases within the Indian population.
Cardio metabolic disease refers to an interconnected set of health disorders that includes metabolic diseases, like obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, coupled with heart disease. Liver diseases.
These are lifestyle and genetic diseases.
India has one of the highest incidence of cardio-metabolic diseases in the world.
The reason for the incidence of such a high rate of cardio-metabolic disease in India is not known.
Currently, the Indian health care system uses the studies done on the European and American populations for the management and treatment of cardio-metabolic disease.
Many in India feel that the Indian population's genetic makeup, dietary habits, and lifestyle patterns differ from those of Europeans and Americans, and hence their data is not suitable for treating Indian patients.
Aim of the Project
- To conduct a pan-India longitudinal study on individuals from different backgrounds,
- To develop a prediction model based on the data collected for cardio-metabolic disease, especially diabetes, liver diseases and cardiac diseases.
About the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology
The Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) is a premier Institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR situated in New Delhi.
It is engaged in the research of molecular medicine, genomics, respiratory disease biology, bioinformatics, proteomics and environmental biotechnology.
Its main purpose is to make the basic biological research concepts into commercially viable technologies for healthcare.
