For the First Time, India Has a Genome Database. But Are We Ready to Use It?

{
  "authors": [
    "Shruti Sharma"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie India"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie India",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [
    "Technology and Society"
  ],
  "regions": [
    "South Asia",
    "India"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Technology"
  ]
}

In The Media

Carnegie India

For the First Time, India Has a Genome Database. But Are We Ready to Use It?

The IndiGen Genome Project, launched in April 2019, is a government-funded exercise that sequenced more than a thousand individuals from diverse ethnicities to create a genome database for India.

By Shruti Sharma

Published on Nov 22, 2019

Source: Print

For the first time ever, we have a gene database just for Indians.

The IndiGen Genome Project, launched in April this year, is a government-funded exercise that sequenced more than a thousand individuals from diverse ethnicities to create a genome database for India.

Since most of the globally available genetic tests have been developed using data of Caucasian populations, this indigenous genetic mapping exercise might improve our ability to diagnose, prevent, and treat diseases specific to the Indian population.

But is India, which will see the Personal Data Protection Bill being tabled in Parliament this winter session, ready?

Read the Full Text

This article was originally published in ThePrint.

About the Author

Shruti Sharma

Former Associate Director, Fellow, and Chief Coordinator, Global Technology Summit, Technology and Society Program

Shruti Sharma was an associate director and a fellow with the Technology and Society Program at Carnegie India, where she is currently working on exploring the challenges and opportunities in leveraging biotechnology to improve public health capacity in India. Additionally, she is the Chief Coordinator of Carnegie India's Global Technology Summit.

Recent Work

Article
The India-United Kingdom Technology and Security Initiative: Ideas for Change
- +1
  Rudra Chaudhuri, Tejas Bharadwaj, Konark Bhandari, …
Commentary
The India-U.S. TRUST Initiative: A Resilient Pharma Supply Chain
- Shruti Sharma

Technology South Asia India

Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie India

Commentary
India Signs the Pax Silica—A Counter to Pax Sinica?
On the last day of the India AI Impact Summit, India signed Pax Silica, a U.S.-led declaration seemingly focused on semiconductors. While India’s accession to the same was not entirely unforeseen, becoming a signatory nation this quickly was not on the cards either.
Konark Bhandari
Commentary
The PSLV Setback: Restoring India’s Workhorse
On January 12, 2026, India's "workhorse," the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, experienced a consecutive mission failure for the first time in its history. This commentary explores the implications of this incident on India’s space sector and how India can effectively address issues stemming from the incident.
Tejas Bharadwaj
Commentary
AI Adoption Journey for Population Scale
Connecting real-world AI use cases across sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and livelihoods can help policymakers, innovators, and institutions align around a shared goal. This article looks at a framework ensuring that AI works for everyone.
Shalini Kapoor, Tanvi Lall
Commentary
The Impact of U.S. Sanctions and Tariffs on India’s Russian Oil Imports
This piece examines India’s response to U.S. sanctions and tariffs, specifically assessing the immediate market consequences, such as alterations in import costs, and the broader strategic implications for India’s energy security and foreign policy orientation.
Vrinda Sahai
Article
The State of Digital Transformation in Pacific Island Countries
Pacific Island Countries are at a pivotal moment in their digital journeys. Across the region, there is growing recognition of digital transformation as a key driver of economic growth, resilience, and global connectivity.
Shruti Mittal, Adarsh Ranjan

More Work from Carnegie India

Commentary

India Signs the Pax Silica—A Counter to Pax Sinica?

On the last day of the India AI Impact Summit, India signed Pax Silica, a U.S.-led declaration seemingly focused on semiconductors. While India’s accession to the same was not entirely unforeseen, becoming a signatory nation this quickly was not on the cards either.

Konark Bhandari

Commentary

The PSLV Setback: Restoring India’s Workhorse

On January 12, 2026, India's "workhorse," the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, experienced a consecutive mission failure for the first time in its history. This commentary explores the implications of this incident on India’s space sector and how India can effectively address issues stemming from the incident.

Tejas Bharadwaj

Commentary

AI Adoption Journey for Population Scale

Connecting real-world AI use cases across sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and livelihoods can help policymakers, innovators, and institutions align around a shared goal. This article looks at a framework ensuring that AI works for everyone.

Shalini Kapoor, Tanvi Lall

Commentary

The Impact of U.S. Sanctions and Tariffs on India’s Russian Oil Imports

This piece examines India’s response to U.S. sanctions and tariffs, specifically assessing the immediate market consequences, such as alterations in import costs, and the broader strategic implications for India’s energy security and foreign policy orientation.

Vrinda Sahai

Article

The State of Digital Transformation in Pacific Island Countries

Pacific Island Countries are at a pivotal moment in their digital journeys. Across the region, there is growing recognition of digital transformation as a key driver of economic growth, resilience, and global connectivity.

Shruti Mittal, Adarsh Ranjan