Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday inaugurated the ‘Paediatric Rare Genetic Disorders’ lab at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics here.
Appreciating the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Central government for asking CDFD to take-up a major research programme on “Paediatric Rare Genetic Disorders”, he said the programme would contribute positively towards the Government of India’s sustainable development goals regarding human health and mitigate the societal burden of genetic diseases. He addressed the scientists of the centre after going round its facilities and said that a few years ago, the WHO data had attributed 61% of all deaths in India to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disorders, cancer and diabetes.
This trend, he said must be arrested by mounting a massive national campaign on the importance of adopting healthy lifestyle and food habits. In this context, he urged the scientists to create awareness among people on making healthy choices.
Referring to the burden of genetic diseases, he asked the scientists to develop simpler and cost-effective methods for diagnosis of various genetic diseases to help in better patient management. He lauded CDFD for identifying novel genetic mutations for over 10 disorders in India, including identification of 4 new genes, which would help in genetic counseling and management of diseases.
Observing that nearly 350 million people were suffering from “rare diseases” worldwide and about 70 million (1 in 20) in India, he pointed to cascading effect of the burden of these disorders on the economy and social structure of society since most are untreatable.
Telangana Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, CDFD Director, Dr. K. Thangaraj, senior officials from the Department of Biotechnology, scientists, research scholars and staff were present on the occasion.
