PHENOME INDIA' PROJECT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, CSIR concluded the first phase of its longitudinal health monitoring project, Phenome India, and organised a special event, Phenome India Unboxing 1.0.

Phenome India' Project

• About: Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK) is an initiative by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), launched on 7th December 2023.
• Objective: The project aims to develop India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases, including diabetes, liver diseases, and cardiac diseases.
• Scope: This is the first-ever pan-India longitudinal health monitoring study focused on cardio-metabolic diseases.
• Participants: Nearly 10,000 participants, including CSIR employees, pensioners, and their spouses from across 17 states and 24 cities, have contributed to the study.
• Data Collection: The collected data includes clinical questionnaires, lifestyle and dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, imaging/scanning data, and extensive biochemical and molecular data.
• Importance: The study is crucial for understanding the risk and incidence of cardio-metabolic disorders in the Indian population, which may differ from those in Western populations due to ethnic diversity and varied lifestyle patterns.

o Through this project, CSIR is promoting Predictive, Personalised, Participatory, and Preventive (P4) healthcare, tailored specifically to the Indian phenotypic and genetic profiles.