India bets on 'precision medicine' — Indian data for Indian patients

On the eve of Doctor's Day, Dr Jitendra Singh said India is building home-grown solutions in gene therapy, nuclear medicine and AI-driven diagnostics — with the Genome India Mission having sequenced over 10,000 genomes — positioning the country's vast genetic diversity as a scientific strength.

What happened

• On the eve of Doctor's Day, Union MoS (I/C) for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh — himself a physician and diabetologist — said the future lies in 'precision medicine', with treatment increasingly tailored to an individual's genetic profile, lifestyle and environment.
• He said India is developing home-grown solutions through gene therapy, nuclear medicine and emerging technologies, positioning itself as a global hub for healthcare innovation.
• He argued India's vast genetic diversity and heterogeneous disease profile create an opportunity to develop 'Indian data for Indian treatment for Indian patients' and affordable, globally relevant solutions.
• He noted the Genome India Mission has completed genome sequencing of over 10,000 individuals, and that AI is accelerating genome analysis, diagnosis, medical education and telemedicine.
• He cited the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) strengthening multidisciplinary research and institutions such as the Tata Memorial Centre pioneering nuclear and precision medicine.

For Prelims

• Precision/personalised medicine: Tailoring prevention and treatment to an individual's genes, environment and lifestyle (e.g. targeted cancer therapies, pharmacogenomics) — versus one-size-fits-all care.
• Genome India Project/Mission: An ambitious effort to sequence the genomes of a diverse set of Indians to build a reference database of genetic variation for research and precision medicine (the 10,000-genomes phase has been completed; expanding further).
• Gene therapy: Treating disease by correcting/replacing faulty genes; India is building indigenous, affordable capacity (e.g. CAR-T cell therapy developed domestically).
• Nuclear medicine: Uses radioisotopes for diagnosis and therapy (e.g. theranostics in cancer); recent reforms encourage public-private collaboration; Tata Memorial Centre is a leading institution.
• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): Set up under the ANRF Act, 2023 (subsuming the SERB) to seed, grow and promote R&D across the sciences, social sciences and humanities, with private-sector funding.
• BioE3 Policy (2024): 'Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment' — supports high-performance biomanufacturing and a bio-based economy, underpinning biomedical innovation.
• Don't confuse: The Genome India Mission (a reference genome database) is distinct from gene therapy (a treatment); ANRF (R&D funding body) is distinct from the missions it may fund.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.13 · GS2.13 · Linkage L2