AHMEDABAD: Ten years after the first human genome ( genetic code) was sequenced, the first Indian genome has been mapped using a new technique developed by a scientist of Indian origin.
According to the researchers, the newly-sequenced Indian genome has uncovered a multitude of Indian-specific sites which can now be used in design of large-scale studies that are better suited for the Indian population.
The individual in question is a Gujarati woman from Houston, USA, whose identity is kept a secret. The research team was led by Jay Shendure, assistant professor in the department of genome sciences at the University of Washington, and one of the co-authors is Mumbai girl Rupali Patwardhan, a graduate student in Shendure's lab.
Acknowledging the fact that a complete Indian genome has been published for the first time, Lalji Singh, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, said the new thing in the study was the technique which can trace back a mutation to the specific parent.
"From a technology standpoint, we have demonstrated that it is possible to sequence a genome and simultaneously determine which blocks of differences are inherited together from one parent versus the other," said Shendure.
The researchers have published their paper, 'Haplotype-resolved genome sequencing of a Gujarati Indian individual', in the online edition of the scientific journal, Nature Biotechnology, on December 19.
Shendure said they are still studying the actual genome sequence itself and how the genetic differences that they identified may predispose this particular individual to certain diseases.