Genetic Resources

A study that analysed genes of South Indian populations suggests a high inbreeding rate of nearly 60 per cent. The historic practice of inbreeding or endogamy in which one marries within a small community, increases chances of passing down disease-causing gene variants -- changes to one's DNA -- to children, thereby raising the risk of genetic disorders. Lead author Kumarasamy Thangaraj, senior scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, said endogamy is the primary cause for population-specific diseases in India. The study, published in the Journal of Genetics and Genomics, also reported a high prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis, a common form of inflammatory arthritis, in the Reddy population of Andhra Pradesh. The researchers attributed this result to the presence of the 'HLA-B27:04' -- a genetic variant known to increase risk of the condition -- and a "strong founder effect". A founder event is w

Genome sequencing, a laboratory technique used to decode the entire genetic composition of an organism or cell type, lies at the heart of the project

Species-rich countries, including tropical giants like Brazil and India, are on guard against corporations and researchers capitalizing on their biodiversity without offering compensation or royalties

Members of Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have concluded an agreement under which it will be mandatory for patent applicants to disclose country of origin or source of genetic resources if the claimed invention is based on those materials or associated traditional knowledge. The treaty will provide additional protection for Indian genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Although these are currently protected within India, they are prone to misappropriation in countries, which do not have disclosure obligations. The current patent legislation does not have a mandatory provision requiring patent applicants to disclose the country of origin or source in case where the invention is based on genetic resources. At present, only 35 countries have some form of disclosure obligations, most of which are not mandatory and do not have appropriate sanctions or remedies in place for effective implementation. The new treaty was adopted on May 24 at the WIPO ...

The dependence of countries on each other to breed new crop varieties and hybrids is bound to increase