{"id":687,"date":"2025-11-13T14:12:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/?p=687"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:13:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:13:08","slug":"dr-jitendra-singh-launches-cohort-connect-2025-on-the-eve-of-world-diabetes-dayindia-moves-toward-one-million-genome-sequencing-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/?p=687","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Jitendra Singh Launches \u2018Cohort Connect 2025\u2019 on the Eve of World Diabetes Day;India Moves Toward One Million Genome Sequencing Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>13 November 2025 | Bhubaneswar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the eve of World Diabetes Day, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science &amp; Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, inaugurated the <strong>\u201cPhenome National Conclave on Longitudinal Cohort Studies: Cohort Connect 2025\u201d<\/strong> at CSIR\u2013IMMT, Bhubaneswar. The initiative, led by CSIR, is set to become <strong>India\u2019s largest evidence-based study<\/strong> examining the genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that drive disease patterns across diverse Indian populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Addressing the inaugural session, Dr. Singh said the discussions hold special significance ahead of World Diabetes Day, as <strong>metabolic disorders\u2014especially diabetes\u2014have emerged as one of India\u2019s most pressing national health challenges<\/strong>. He stressed that diabetes today is not only a clinical ailment but a full-spectrum condition leading to vascular, neurological, and renal complications, making long-term scientific research essential for national planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cIndian Data for Indian Solutions\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Highlighting India\u2019s rising burden of metabolic diseases, the Minister asserted that <strong>\u201cIndian data for Indian solutions is the only way to defeat diabetes.\u201d<\/strong> He noted that Type-2 diabetes, once considered region-specific, has now become a widespread pan-India challenge due to rapid lifestyle and environmental transitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Singh emphasized the need for <strong>integrated health strategies<\/strong>, pointing to the link between diabetes and infections like tuberculosis, and cautioned against \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d global approaches. India\u2019s unique genetic and phenotypic characteristics, he said, demand <strong>India-specific prevention and treatment models<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A New Era in Precision Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Minister announced that India is rapidly progressing toward the milestone of <strong>one million human genome sequences<\/strong>, with nearly 10,000 genomes already mapped under CSIR and the Department of Biotechnology. He described this as a transformative step toward precision health and personalized medicine, backed by large-scale cohort data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also highlighted India\u2019s breakthrough in advanced biomedical research, including <strong>the country\u2019s first successful haemophilia trial using an indigenously developed Factor VIII<\/strong>, along with ongoing work on vaccines for dengue, malaria, and tuberculosis. AI-driven diagnostics and quantum-enabled health solutions, he said, are strengthening India\u2019s medical ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Need for Evidence-Based Public Health Policies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Singh urged caution in adopting new drugs or technologies without long-term evidence suitable for Indian populations. Citing historical examples\u2014such as refined oils once promoted as heart-friendly but later linked to coronary disease in India\u2014he underscored the importance of robust, long-term cohort studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>70% of India\u2019s population below 40<\/strong>, he emphasized that <strong>preventive healthcare must be at the center of national health planning<\/strong>, and comprehensive cohort studies like Phenome India will generate the actionable data required for evidence-based policy decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Towards Viksit Bharat 2047<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Calling cohort studies a <strong>\u201cnational imperative\u201d<\/strong>, Dr. Singh stated that India\u2019s health status in 2047 will be a defining parameter of <em>Viksit Bharat<\/em>. He noted that initiatives like Phenome India and Cohort Connect 2025 will play a foundational role in shaping India\u2019s future health roadmap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The event was attended by senior scientists including Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director of CSIR\u2013IMMT; Dr. Maiti (CSIR\u2013IGIB); Dr. Kooti; Dr. Debashish; project investigators; and media representatives. They briefed the press on the objectives and emerging insights from the Phenome India longitudinal cohort programme and outlined the agenda for the upcoming national conclave.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>13 November 2025 | Bhubaneswar On the eve of World Diabetes Day, Union Minister of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=687"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":689,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions\/689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalwarta.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}