The field of genomics has enormous potential towards providing preventive and personalised healthcare, and more people would benefit from it in the near future, said Governor R.N. Ravi while inaugurating the Apollo Genomics Institute here on Tuesday.
Highlighting that any such advancement in science and technology would have societal implications, he stressed the need for using genomics with discretion, care and a huge sense of responsibility. Arguing that the genomics had the potential of providing “predictive intelligence about an individual”, he said the social implications of such knowledge must be tackled carefully. If an individual, for instance, was identified to be prone to a disease, they may be denied a job by an employer or be discriminated by insurance companies.
Even for marriages, people may start exchanging genome sequences instead of horoscopes, he said jokingly.
He said the next 25 years were crucial for India as it wants to lead in all fields, including healthcare, during its centenary year of Independence.Congratulating Apollo Hospitals for embarking on a journey in genomics, he said, the hospital, which had always experimented and had remarkable success, would fulfil its commitment in the country’s journey. Prathap C. Reddy, chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said genomics holds the promise of personalised and precise care, catering to the specific needs of each patient. Pointing out that by 2030, 80% of deaths would likely be due to various non-communicable diseases, he said genomics could play a crucial role in tackling such a critical problem.
He recalled how Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted genomics in this year’s Budget as a sunrise field with huge potential for the country’s growth.
Sandi Deans, National Laboratory and Scientific Lead (Genomics), NHS England, said 2023 marked 70 years since the discovery of the double helix and 20 years since the whole genome sequencing of first human being, which took 13 years. .
Today, she said, such whole genome sequencing could be done in 37 hours and this indicated the scale and pace at which the science had developed.
She added that genomics was , in many ways, revolutionising diagnosis and treatment options and was already being significantly used by the NHS. It was particularly useful in cancers as it is now possible to sequence individual tumours to get individual DNA fingerprinting, which in turn enabled the use of appropriate drugs.
The evolving field of pharmaco-genomics, she said, helped in identifying genomic changes in individuals to find out which drugs were effective for them.Preetha Reddy, vice-chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, said the new institute was a giant leap for the hospital in its commitment towards providing the best in healthcare and in its contribution towards making India the global healthcare capital.
Suneeta Reddy, managing director, Apollo Hospitals, said the institute marked the beginning of moving from standardised to personalised healthcare, with the understanding that every human being was different.
