Goa | 1 June 2024

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has announced the successful conclusion of the first phase of its groundbreaking longitudinal health monitoring project, the 'Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase' (PI-CHeCK). To mark this significant milestone, CSIR is organizing a special event, 'Phenome India Unboxing 1.0', at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, on 3rd June 2024.

The event will be graced by Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR and Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), who will address the press and highlight the achievements of the project.

Launched on 7th December 2023, the PI-CHeCK project aims to assess risk factors in non-communicable (cardio-metabolic) diseases within the Indian populace. This unique initiative has already enrolled nearly 10,000 participants, who have volunteered to provide comprehensive health data. These participants include CSIR employees, pensioners, and their spouses. The collected data encompasses a wide range of parameters, including clinical questionnaires, lifestyle and dietary habits, anthropometric measurements, imaging/scanning data, and extensive biochemical and molecular data.

It is important to understand the mechanisms which underlie the increasing risk and incidence of cardio metabolic disorders in Indian population and develop new strategies for risk stratification, prevention and management of these major diseases. Currently, most of these risk prediction algorithms are based on epidemiological data from Caucasian population and there is evidence that they may be not very accurate for the Indian population due to ethnic diversity, varied genetic make-up and lifestyle patterns including dietary habits. UK Biobank, China Bio-bank, Japan Biobank, UCLA precision health biobank are few examples which have targeted significant large populations to eye personalized medicine. It is therefore, important that India-specific risk prediction algorithms are developed.

Through the integration of multi-modal and multi-level omics data—such as genomics, microbiome analysis, plasma proteomics, and metabolomics—the project aims to develop predictive models using advanced big data analysis tools powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). This will enable personalized risk stratification and management of cardio-metabolic disorders, moving away from a "one size fits all" approach to a more tailored strategy.

The occasion will also feature three prominent lectures by distinguished experts in the field:

• Dr. N. Krishna Reddy, CEO of ACCESS Health International, will speak on “Longitudinal studies to validate risk assessment tools in India for cardio-metabolic illnesses.”
• Dr. Anurag Agrawal, Dean of BioSciences and Health Research at Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, will discuss “Digital Transformation of Health: The need for better data ecosystems.”
• Dr. Ankush Desai, Consultant in the Department of Endocrinology at Goa Medical College, Bambolim, Goa, will present on “Diabetes Mellitus in India - Problem status and Solutions.”

The Phenome India project exemplifies CSIR's commitment to advancing precision medicine through Predictive, Personalized, Participatory, and Preventive healthcare. By generating a comprehensive phenome database tailored to the Indian population, the project aims to catalyze similar initiatives across the country, thereby ensuring that risk prediction algorithms are more accurate and representative of India's diverse genetic and lifestyle landscape

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Source: CSIR-NIO

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