Genome India Project launched in North East India

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Oct 24

Genome India Project in North East India was launched today at Dr. Manju Sharma Hall, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (ISBD), Takyelpat.

Speaking on the launching ceremony, Indian neuroscientist, currently professor, Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath said with the coming of changes in eating habits the rate of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and other have been increasing enormously. The problem could be eliminated if instead of taking medications people begin performing physical exercises regularly young.

She said the main objective of the genome project is to make people aware on how to remain genetically healthy thus be free from lifelong medications.

The project will implement in ISBD in the state in collaboration with the Centre for Brain Research Indian Neuroscientist, Bangalore, she added.

To make the result of the project optimal, the research will have to be done at different infrastructures specialised according to the social problem and the types of diversity of ethnic groups in northeast India, she said.

Till now the treatment for cancer, hypertension, diabetics and others have been doing with different kinds of drugs in which animals have been used as testing models therefore not accurate enough.

Under this project, the testing model will be done on human models. With the changing trends in eating habits and constant mutation in different kinds of diseases, drugs tested on animals are falling short of standard, she added.

Vijayalakshmi further said most common diseases in the modern times are cardio-vascular and kidney failures in middle aged people. These diseases can be eliminated if people from their early thirties start physical workouts regularly. Smoking and excessive consumption of alcohols and drugs also augment the problem, she said.

With this project, experts will do analysis on different ethnic groups of entire northeast in order to find out the diseases they are prone to, or the causes of the diseases they already have, she added.

In analyses being carried out in southern Indian states like Karnataka and Kerala, most of these diseases are found to be caused by nutritional deficiencies and aberrations, rather than genetics or viral mutations, Vijayalakshmi stated.

People can volunteer to become human model under this project she said assuring thier identities will be kept unanimous and the model will be given a twelve digit code. The analysis will be done by testing genes and immune system response to the antigens, she added.

Director of IBDS, Professor Dinabandhu Sahoo also attended the launching function.