New Delhi:
India has sequenced its first human genome. A team of scientists from CSIR has unraveled the entire DNA sequence of an Indian.
This comes almost ten years after Americans sequenced the first human genome. Scientists say this will help in developing better medicines and unraveling the origins of Indians.
It took two months for a team of eight scientists working quietly in a lab in Delhi to sequence the genome of a 52-year-old tribal man from Jharkhand. The identity of the tribal is being kept secret. It has cost about Rs 15 lakh to do this job. There is still some work to be done in cleaning up the data before it can be published.
Not surprisingly, there is very little difference between the half a dozen or so genomes that have been sequenced till date in the world and the Indian genome.
The genome sequence could potentially help scientists mine the right type of genes to find cures for many diseases. But it must be noted that the first genome sequence in 2000 did not live up to its reputation - much-hyped cures and personalized medicine never materialized as a consequence of this project.