Global Gene Corp and GA4GH (Global Alliance for Genomics and Health) are delighted to announce the launch of ggcINDIA, the first ever beacon for Indian genomics data. This Beacon joins those already on the Wellcome Genome Campus supplied by EMBL-EBI and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. I will get the obvious question out the way - what on Earth is genomics data? Let's find out...

Every person is different, with their own unique DNA set. Some similar patterns are shared between people of the same ethnicity - and to have a worldwide directory of this data could help doctors provide precision personalised healthcare, greatly improving the chances of curing serious diseases such as cancer.

This is where the Global Gene Corp and GA4GH come in, because for genomics research to actually be useful, they need a full database of the world’s DNA sequences to see how they can sequence, assemble and ultimately understand the function of genomes (the complete set of DNA within a single cell).

With the insights gained from this, scientists can better understand how diseases form, and develop more effective ways to cure or treat them. However, more than 60% of the world’s population is completely unrepresented by this directory of genomics data - India of which makes up 20%, but only contributes less than 0.2% of genomics data available right now.

Well today, that has changed as His Excellency, Mr. Dinesh Patnaik, Deputy High Commissioner of India has just helped proudly launch ggcINDIA at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge. This 69th set of genomics data (stored online as ‘beacons’) will be added to the GA4GH Beacon Network and, aiding in the worldwide democratisation of healthcare.

“Genomics is the science that will define healthcare in our lifetime. Solving healthcare problems at scale is exceptionally important for India to ensure quality of life for our 1.3 billion citizens,” His Excellency commented. “Cutting-edge genomics will provide truly innovative solutions that will benefit individuals and the population as a whole.”

Created by Sumit Jamuar, Chairman & CEO of Global Gene Corp based in Cambridge, this pivotal step in making a transformative impact on human health and disease is set to fill one of the “biggest missing pieces in the genomics puzzle.”

“As a member of GA4GH, our ggcINDIA beacon will start to address the lack of shared Indian genomics data to enable researchers globally to accelerate development of precision medicine.”