GIP: A Research Initiative

The Genome India Initiative (GIP) has been approved as a gene mapping project by the Department of Biotechnology. The GIP will include 20 well-known institutes in India. The Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the IISc in Bangalore will serve as a hub for the group of the research initiative. The 2020 Budget discusses new projects and says that “mapping India’s genetic landscape is important for the next generation of medicine, agriculture, and biodiversity management.” The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international effort from 1990 to 2003. Its goal was to map and understand the human genome.

The Aim of GIP

The project’s purpose (Indian Institute of Science’s Centre) is to create an “Indian reference genome,” which will help scientists better understand genetic diversity in Indian populations. The GIP will help us better understand the variety of the Indian people by adding to the current HGP database.

What Is a Genomic Sequence?

Each base pair in the DNA’s tuples must be identified and separated. A DNA molecule’s nucleotide sequence is the molecule’s arrangement of nucleotides, and this sequence contains all of the required information to develop a living creature.

Gene Mapping Research Initiative Uses

• Having an Indian genome as a reference might provide new information about diseases and treatment possibilities for different ethnic groups.
• Mapping India’s population’s genetic diversity might contribute to the creation of personalised medicine and the decrease of hereditary illnesses.
• Disease-causing genetic variations have been identified and documented. Improved congenital disease conduct research and treatment will result from this.
• Planning for future diseases and the consequences they may have.
• Creating very precise pharmaceuticals.
• Adding agriculture to the project’s scope will make crops more resistant to disease and reduce the need for insecticides and pesticides.
• A new perspective on India’s ethnic groups and their genetic heritage will emerge due to this endeavour.

The Genome India Project Research Initiative’s Issues

• There are several ways to discriminate against individuals based on their genetic makeup, including health insurance, employment prospects, etc. Indigenous people, race/caste politics and ancestry track may now be able to study genetically.
• Changing one’s physical appearance through altering one’s DNA. Gene therapy has the potential to heal a wide range of diseases but also raises ethical concerns about how far it may be carried since it might pave the way for genetic enhancement.
• As a consequence of these three factors, privacy problems arise. Insufficient data and cultural differences prevent us from fully appreciating the potential benefits and hazards of gene mapping as a scientific tool. There must be a focus on data storage and security, given the potential for misuse.
• Preventative genetic testing and medical treatment may worsen societal inequities, leading to further conflict.

Policy Reforms that the Genome India Project Research Initiative Wants to be Implemented

• Genomic data sharing participants’ privacy must be protected.
• DNA data collection and usage without participants’ consent is prohibited by law.
• Confidentiality agreements that only allow a select group of a research initiative to access data
• Law prohibits prenatal genetic testing.
• The use of genetics for reasons other than disease prevention is restricted.
• Regulating genetic testing and determining its worth of it.
• There are rules governing the storage of DNA samples, the management of DNA databases, and the rights of those with access to these databases.
• Generic discrimination is outlawed by law.
• Health disparities among historically underrepresented communities and initiatives to increase the number of people participating in genetics conduct research.
• Training centres, programmes, and centres of excellence in genetics.

What Is GIP’s Significance?

• The Genome India Project is based on the Human Genome Project (HGP 1990-2003) and intends to sequence the whole human genome.
• Because most of the genomes mapped under HGP were white urban middle-class people, HGP has a big problem with diversity (over 95 %). A realistic depiction of the human genome cannot be achieved by using the Human Genome Project (HGP).
• As a result, the GIP(Indian Institute of Science’s Centre) aims to considerably increase our understanding of the human species and promote the cause because of the size and diversity of the Indian people. Examples of this contrast are seen in the following photographs.
• The first waves of people to arrive in the Indian subcontinent were from Africa. This is a one-of-a-kind example of interbreeding between species worldwide because of the constant migrations worldwide.
• Endogamy and inter-marriage are standard practices among ethnic groups, and as a result, some diseases and traits have only been passed down within particular communities.
• By studying variety and oneness, it may be possible to provide personalised treatment to a large section of the world’s population.

Conclusion:

The GIP’s work to find and catalogue our country’s genes and genetic variations might lead to precision medicine, hereditary disorders, and enhanced agriculture. Before this cutting-edge technology can be used entirely, there are many risks and problems associated with the storage and usage of genetic data.