Phenome India National Biobank: Towards Data-Driven and Personalized Healthcare

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Vice President of CSIR, inaugurated the Phenome India “National Biobank” at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) in Delhi. The state-of-the-art facility marks a pivotal step in India’s march toward precision medicine and data-driven healthcare.

The Biobank will underpin India’s first longitudinal population health study, aiming to collect genomic, clinical, and lifestyle data from over 10,000 individuals across diverse ethnic, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Inspired by the UK Biobank, this Indian initiative is customised to decode the unique genetic and health profiles of the Indian population, enabling personalised treatment regimens, early diagnosis, and AI-powered healthcare interventions.

The initiative represents India’s answer to global biomedical databases like the UK Biobank, tailored specifically to India’s diverse and complex population.

What is the Phenome India National Biobank?

The Biobank is a national resource aimed at creating a longitudinal health database through the collection of:

• Genomic data
• Lifestyle parameters
• Clinical health records

The project aims to track 10,000 individuals across India’s varied geographies, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds.

The cohort study will follow participants over many years, capturing changes in health, disease progression, and therapeutic responses.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

1. Precision Medicine

The Biobank aims to enable individualised treatment based on genetic profiles, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors. This could help in:

• Predicting disease susceptibility
• Tailoring drug therapies based on genetic compatibility
• Enabling preventive healthcare

2. Disease Pattern Identification

It will facilitate early identification of diseases like:

• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Cancers
• Rare genetic disorders

3. Research in Gene-Environment Interactions

Given India’s heterogeneous health landscape, the Biobank can uncover how environmental and dietary factors influence gene expression and disease manifestation.

4. AI-Driven Healthcare Innovations

The high-resolution data from the Biobank is expected to power:

• Machine learning-based diagnostics
• Predictive analytics
• Drug discovery and development

Why is it Important for India?

1. Addressing India-Specific Health Challenges

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the unique Indian phenotype, such as central obesity in lean individuals, a risk factor under-recognised in global datasets. The Biobank provides data for designing India-specific health strategies.

2. Self-Reliance in Health Data

As noted by Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR, the Biobank is a step toward Aatmanirbharta in healthcare. Dependence on Western datasets limits applicability to the Indian population. This initiative builds indigenous capacity.

3. Support for National Missions

• Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission
• Digital Health Mission
• One Health Framework

The data infrastructure will support these missions through evidence-based interventions and personalised care.

CSIR-IGIB’s Role in Transformative Genomic Research

Under the leadership of Dr. Souvik Maiti, CSIR-IGIB has made pioneering contributions, including:

• First Indian institute to begin human genome decoding
• Developed 300+ diagnostics for rare genetic disorders
• Contributed to COVID-19 genome sequencing
• Launched India’s first drug genome project
• Ongoing work in breast cancer genomics, women’s health, space biology, and AI-based pilot screening with the Indian Air Force

These achievements reinforce CSIR-IGIB’s capacity to manage large-scale, high-impact projects like the Biobank.

Global Comparisons and Collaborative Potential

The UK Biobank is often cited as the gold standard for such longitudinal health studies. India’s Biobank aspires to:

• Match global standards in data quality and depth
• Provide context-specific insights relevant to India’s population
• Eventually serve as a model for other developing nations

The initiative also opens avenues for international collaboration, including public-private partnerships in drug development, diagnostics, and genomics research.

Challenges Ahead

Despite its potential, the project must address several challenges:

1. Data Privacy and Ethics: Securing informed consent, protecting genomic data, and ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Bill are essential.
2. Capacity Building: Trained manpower in bioinformatics, data analysis, and clinical research is needed to utilise the Biobank’s potential fully.
3. Sustainable Funding: Long-term financial support and multi-stakeholder investment will be necessary to maintain and scale the initiative.
4. Policy-Research Integration: Bridging the gap between scientific research and public policy outcomes will be critical to translating data into health benefits.

Conclusion

The launch of the Phenome India National Biobank marks a watershed moment in India’s transition toward precision public health.

As India aspires to lead in AI, biotechnology, and personalised medicine, the Biobank becomes a foundational infrastructure.

It complements the government’s vision of Digital Health, Make in India in Biotech, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

With sustained effort, ethical safeguards, and collaborative governance, the Biobank can transform India’s healthcare paradigm, from reactive to predictive, and from population-level generalisation to personalised care.

Read: Genome India Project