DC | Amar Tejaswi | 3 hours 43 min ago
Hyderabad: Genetic diseases, as most people know, are caused by mutations in the human genome. Now scientists are increasingly discovering that some disease-causing mutations are exclusive to Indian populations.
Recent genetic studies have suggested that some genetic diseases, prevalent worldwide, have different trigger mutations in Indian and Western populations. This underlines the need for development of new localised diagnostic tools for such diseases.
Dr G.R. Chandak, scientist and group leader, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, has been working on this subject for more than a decade and acknowledges the fact. “We can’t make a blanket statement at this point but we have noticed some differences in the mutational spectrums in Indian and Western populations.”
Scientists explain that this can be attributed to two reasons. “First is that the genetic make up of Indians is vastly different from those of Western populations. And second is the selection pressure,” Dr Chandak said. Dr K. Thangaraj, group leader, CCMB, has also published studies regarding the huge differences in the genetic make-up of North and South Indians as well.
A recent study by Dr Chandak had also found that lipase, the enzyme instrumental in the breakdown of fats, is less in Indians and more in Westerners. “Even in a disease like type 2 diabetes, out of 70 identified genetic mutations, about 65 are the same worldwide, but about three or four are present only in some populations,” Dr Chandak added.
These variations make it difficult for scientists to generalise the causal mutations associated with diseases and subsequently have to develop local diagnostic tools. Some countries offer such diagnostic tools, which check for genetic mutations to diagnose diseases. “We will need to have the local mutational spectrum of all the diseases for such an institutionalised disease diagnosis system,” Dr Chandak said.
States: Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad: Genetic diseases, as most people know, are caused by mutations in the human genome. Now scientists are increasingly discovering that some disease-causing mutations are exclusive to Indian populations.
Recent genetic studies have suggested that some genetic diseases, prevalent worldwide, have different trigger mutations in Indian and Western populations. This underlines the need for development of new localised diagnostic tools for such diseases.
Dr G.R. Chandak, scientist and group leader, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, has been working on this subject for more than a decade and acknowledges the fact. “We can’t make a blanket statement at this point but we have noticed some differences in the mutational spectrums in Indian and Western populations.”
Scientists explain that this can be attributed to two reasons. “First is that the genetic make up of Indians is vastly different from those of Western populations. And second is the selection pressure,” Dr Chandak said. Dr K. Thangaraj, group leader, CCMB, has also published studies regarding the huge differences in the genetic make-up of North and South Indians as well.
A recent study by Dr Chandak had also found that lipase, the enzyme instrumental in the breakdown of fats, is less in Indians and more in Westerners. “Even in a disease like type 2 diabetes, out of 70 identified genetic mutations, about 65 are the same worldwide, but about three or four are present only in some populations,” Dr Chandak added.
These variations make it difficult for scientists to generalise the causal mutations associated with diseases and subsequently have to develop local diagnostic tools. Some countries offer such diagnostic tools, which check for genetic mutations to diagnose diseases. “We will need to have the local mutational spectrum of all the diseases for such an institutionalised disease diagnosis system,” Dr Chandak said.
States: Andhra Pradesh
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