‘Genome centre, a critical step in medical research’

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Genome Data Centre (KGDC) and Microbiome Centre of Excellence would power the state’s advancement in the health sector, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He was speaking after launching the centres at Innovation Day 2023, a two-day event organized by the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) here on Monday.

He said the genome data centre, which has been set up with the aim of curating and publishing genome data by following models existing at the international level, would become a critical step in medical research and healthcare.

“Health protection, study of critical genetic problems and increasing productivity of the primary sector are the major goals of the centre. It would provide crucial data to the research institutes and biotech companies to develop new pharmaceutical products. Initially, the centre would collect data of plants, animals and microorganisms,” said Vijayan.

He added that the project would require an investment of Rs 500 crore in the next five years and as the first phase, the state government has already allotted Rs 50 crore in the current financial year for the same.

In the context of the COVID outbreak, research about microbiomes has become more relevant. It can influence the developments happening in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and bioinformatics, he added.

Industry minister P Rajeeve presented awards to the winners of the Young Innovators Programme.