The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : CDFD to develop ‘genetic registry’

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Friday, Apr 18, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

CDFD to develop ‘genetic registry’

It will help planners devise preventive programmes
Registry will provide population-based data on disorders

HYDERABAD: With no tangible data currently available, a national data base on common genetic disorders is being developed on the lines of cancer registry to enable health planners formulate specific preventive programmes.

Software that will precisely identify genetic disorders has been developed by the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) as part of establishing the national data base under a Department of Biotechnology-funded project.

The CDFD will set up a centralised data bank through the web-enabled tool developed for five types of genetic diseases which are common in the country.

With the completion of the first phase on building a data base on genetic disorders in Andhra Pradesh, it was now proposed to utilise the software in five nodal centres in the country – All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, Swami Vivekanada Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata, Institute of Immuno-haematology, Mumbai, Christian Medical College, Vellore and Benares Hindu University.

Purpose

The main objective was to put in place national registry for genetic diseases on the lines developed for cancer, H.A.Nagarajaram, Head, Laboratory, Computational Biology, CDFD told The Hindu on Thursday.

The basic advantage of the system was that it would provide population-based data on the genetic disorders.

The CDFD proposed to train personnel from the five nodal centres on software use and was awaiting DBT’s approval in this regard.

A. Radharama Devi, geneticist and project in-charge, said the software would help in precisely identifying genetic disorders relating to haemoglobinopathy, neuromuscular, amino acids, coagulation and lysosomal disorders which were common in the country.

Common disorders

She said the common disorders in AP were thalassemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, haemophilia, spinal muscular atrophy (at molecular level), Maple Syrup Urine Disease ( at bio-chemical level) and adult Huntington disease, spino- cerebellar ataxia and Friedreich’s ataxia ( at chromosomal level).

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