Phenome India ‘National Biobank’

India has taken a significant leap in the field of biomedical research with the launch of the Phenome India National Biobank, a state-of-the-art facility located at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi. This initiative marks a critical advancement toward building the country's own longitudinal population health data infrastructure, designed to power the next generation of personalized healthcare.

The National Biobank will serve as the foundational pillar for a nationwide cohort study, collecting detailed genomic, clinical, and lifestyle data from 10,000 individuals across India. Inspired by global models such as the UK Biobank, the Indian version has been custom-built to reflect the nation's vast diversity across geography, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds. This approach ensures that research outcomes will be uniquely tailored to India’s public health needs.

The core objective of the Biobank is to enable early diagnosis, improve therapeutic targeting, and provide data-driven solutions for complex diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, rare genetic conditions, and more. The facility aims to support the shift toward precision medicine—a healthcare model that delivers treatments customized to a person’s genetic profile, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors.

The launch also coincides with the rollout of India’s first longitudinal population health study, which will track the health trajectories of individuals over time. Longitudinal studies are critical in identifying gene-environment interactions, understanding disease progression, and developing preventive and therapeutic interventions. Unlike cross-sectional studies that offer a snapshot in time, longitudinal data provide continuous insight, improving the reliability and relevance of medical research.

A key focus of the initiative is addressing health conditions uniquely prevalent or expressed in the Indian population, such as central obesity—a form of fat accumulation around the waist that often goes unnoticed in otherwise lean individuals. This condition is a known risk factor for cardiometabolic disorders, and highlights the importance of population-specific health strategies.

The Biobank complements India’s rapidly advancing capabilities in genomics, quantum technologies, AI-driven diagnostics, and CRISPR-based gene editing. CRISPR, a breakthrough genome-editing technology, is being applied in India to develop treatments for conditions such as sickle cell anaemia, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), liver fibrosis, and rare disorders. These efforts underscore the growing emphasis on indigenous innovation and self-reliance in health research infrastructure.

In addition to biological data, the Biobank initiative promotes stronger integration across research bodies, biotechnology agencies, and industry partners. This collaboration aims to ensure that research outcomes translate into real-world healthcare solutions, especially in emerging domains like AMR, drug development, and AI-guided therapies.

The national Biobank is part of the broader Phenome India Project, a long-term, data-rich research effort envisioned to evolve into a global benchmark in health data science. With its depth and diversity, the project holds the potential to rival global counterparts, offering unique insights into health and disease from an Indian perspective.

The IGIB, a pioneering institute in Indian genomics for over two decades, has been instrumental in several landmark initiatives—ranging from COVID-19 genome sequencing to developing over 300 diagnostic tools for rare disorders and launching India’s first drug-genome mapping project. Its work now extends into women-centric genomic studies, breast cancer genomics, space biology, and AI-based fitness evaluations for specialized domains like aviation and defense.

Overall, the launch of the National Biobank represents a strategic shift in India's healthcare and research ecosystem, placing data-driven, individualized care at the center of national health priorities. It also signals a growing alignment with global standards while preserving a sharp focus on local health realities.

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