Devangshu Datta: How are you, DNA-wise?

Personal genome mapping is becoming a popular idea for health and lifestyle reasons

In “India”, Patrick French describes a friend correctly identifying three random strangers at Lucknow Airport by caste and place of origin, simply by looking at their faces and clothes. French then segued into speculating if caste distinctions show up at genetic level. This is a plausible hypothesis — many castes and communities have been proudly endogamous (not married outside the community) for centuries.

However, according to the SS Bhatnagar-Award-winning scientist, Mitali Mukerji of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), who French interviewed, “There’s no logic to talking about which Indian community has the better genes. Indians have opinions but the caste system has no genetic basis.”

Dr Mukerji is part of the Indian Genome Variation Consortium, which is developing a genetic map of India. So far, the work indicates Indian genes are widely and variably mixed. Some communities separated by thousands of kilometres share the same genes, and many, if not most, endogamous communities are genetically indistinguishable from their neighbours, also supposedly endogamous.

The IGIB’s tentative conclusions have obvious political implications and could be disputed, despite being scientifically robust. There’s anecdotal evidence that sperm donation banks and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) clinics field “delicate” questions about the caste-communal origins of sperm donors and surrogate mothers.

In the recent past, a lot of technology has been incorporated into the rituals of arranging traditional Indian marriages. It’s become normal to seek spouses online on matrimonial sites, to do web-based horoscopes and google the profiles of suitable prospects.

Biotechnology could soon start to play a key role as well. By mapping the personal genome of an individual, it’s possible to flag ancestry and relatives, as well as to test for DNA markers associated to various diseases, drug sensitivities and conditions. Of course, while it may be useless in terms of proving “caste purity”, personal genome mapping is an excellent idea for health and lifestyle reasons. Genetic susceptibility to diabetes, for instance, can be warded off by a good lifestyle.

Acton Biotech, a small genetic research lab headquartered in Pune has just launched a personal genome-mapping product, which claims to be the first in India. Sandeep Saxena, the founder-CEO of Acton, expects a large proportion of the clientele will be high-net-worth individuals contemplating marriage.

There are many competent Indian genetic research labs. Apart from IGIB, they mostly do outsourcing, or customised scans for cancer. The new Acton product is a single standardised scan. It is being marketed as a fast-moving consumer product, which may raise a few eyebrows among the soap-selling fraternity.

Acton’s product seems to be modelled along similar lines to the pioneering 23andMe personal DNA research products. For approximately Rs 20,000, a client can send a blood sample to be analysed by Acton. 23andMe works off swabs of saliva and its range of offerings costs somewhere between $100 and $500, so the Pune-based lab’s pricing and positioning are competitive. It could get cheaper as it gains traction.

The genome report (which will be put online with secure logons) will contain information about genes, DNA-markers pertaining to diseases and conditions, and sensitivity to drugs. There will be updates if something new is discovered, and a statistical comparison of the individual’s genome report with global databases will be made to see if there’s something unusual.

Clients can sign up for counselling with genetic councillors — that is, doctors trained to analyse the reports and explain risks and implications. This may help them avert conditions to which their DNA markets indicate vulnerability. It may also alert them to carrier status for conditions like haemophilia. It could, therefore, enable clients to avoid having kids with potentially fatal conditions. Finally, it would flag potentially dangerous allergic reactions to drugs.

The scan will test for DNA markers for a long list including diabetes, asthma, hypertension, arthritis, obesity, thalassemia, baldness, cancers, polycystic ovary syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, mental retardation, mood disorder, infertility, polycystic kidney disease, ciliopathies, haemophilia, cystic fibrosis, canavan disease, muscular dystrophy, Gaucher Disease, Tay-Sachs Disease, G6PD deficiency, hypercholesterolemia, phenylketonuria, torsion dystonia, haemochromatosis, aneurysm, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, vitiligo, endometriosis, keloid, lupus, schizophrenia, tardive dyskinesia and uterine fibroids.

It will also test for sensitivity to drugs such as Gefitinib, Tamoxifen, Abacavir, Clopidogrel, Hepatitis C therapy, Warfarin and Carbamazepine and toxicity from Fluorouracil, Mercaptopurine, Methotrexate and Irinotecan.

Saxena, who is a biotech graduate from Mumbai University with 12 years of research experience with TIFR, hopes this product will help his three-year-old company graduate to the big league. He reckons Acton will do a turnover of Rs 50,00,000 in 2010-11, (up from Rs 15,00,000 in 2009-10) and he’s targeting Rs 5 crore in 2011-12.

If he’s right about the timing and the product catches on, there could be half-a-dozen players in the Indian market soon. At some stage, if the statisticians can slice and dice a consolidated database of genome maps, we may discover some truly interesting things about our ancient civilisation and its habits and mores.