National Biobank

National Biobank : Recently, the Union Minister of Science & Technology inaugurated the Phenome India “National Biobank” at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi.

• About National Biobank : Aims to build India’s first longitudinal population health database and support personalized treatment approaches.

o Scope: Will collect genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data from 10,000 individuals across India.

o Design Inspiration: Modelled on the UK Biobank, but tailored to reflect India’s diverse geography, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds

o Research Benefits: Enables early diagnosis of diseases

ü Improves therapeutic targeting

ü Helps tackle diseases like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and rare genetic diseases

o Long-Term Study: Tracks health patterns and gene-environment interactions over several years within the Indian population.

o Linked to CSIR-IGIB’s work on: CRISPR-based genome editing (e.g., for sickle cell anaemia), Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Liver fibrosis and rare disorders and Women’s health, breast cancer, and space biology.