Personalised medicine R&D gains momentum

Hyderabad: With genome information we can now think of precision and personalised approach for more effective and economical approaches to healthcare, said director of CCMB, Dr Rakesh K Mishra.

Speaking during the Indo-US workshop on Human Diversity and Health Disparities, here on Friday, he said, "Variation in our population and differential susceptibility to diseases and response to treatment methods has been known. This meeting brings experts from India and the USA to discuss the latest findings. This is likely to help us fine tune our way forward towards genome-assisted healthcare."

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has brought together researchers from India and the USA who work to understand the genetic basis of diseases among various ethnic populations from different parts of the world.

It will also have focused discussions on the promise of personalized medicine, and advancements in technologies to make it possible. Dr Thangaraj from CCMB and Dr Keshav Singh, University of Alabama, Birmingham, the convenors of the meeting from the two countries mention that most of the data that we have today is based on European populations. For the field of personalized medicine to progress, it is imperative for us to understand population-specific genetics.

The workshop is being attended by around 200 researchers, many of whom are promising PhD scholars from research institutes, universities, hospitals and life science companies in India and the USA. This meeting is arranged by the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, supported by Department of Science and Technology, India and Department of State, USA with an aim to create fruitful collaborations between the two countries.

The researchers will deliberate on genetic and epigenetic basis of different forms of cancer, diabetes, heart and neurological diseases in South Asia and the USA during the workshop that will go on till January 18.