Abstract: In a landmark move for Indian healthcare, the newly launched Phenome India National Biobank situated at CSIR-IGIB, aims to establish a comprehensive, nation-spanning longitudinal database by collecting genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data from 10,000 participants. Drawing inspiration from the UK Biobank but tailored for India’s vast ethnic and socio-economic diversity, it is set to enhance precision medicine efforts. The biobank’s core objective is to enable early diagnosis, personalize treatment strategies, and deepen our understanding of complex diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and rare genetic conditions. By integrating high-resolution data from real individuals across diverse geographies, India will have the scientific foundation to decode gene–environment interactions specific to its population.
This initiative, part of the broader Phenome India Project (or PI-CHeCK), is designed as a long-term cohort study that tracks individual health trajectories over time. It will help map disease patterns and generate India-specific risk models, moving beyond the Western-centric algorithms prevailing today. The biobank also serves as a data platform ready to support AI-driven diagnostics and gene-guided therapies, strengthening the nation’s capacity for biomedical research and personalized healthcare. A brief nod from the Ministry of Science & Technology acknowledges the national significance and alignment with India’s push toward innovation-led healthcare.
Get the Detailed news here: Jitendra Singh Launches India’s National Biobank for Personalized Healthcare, ETHealthworld
