Future belongs to genomics driven ‘personalised medical prescriptions’: Dr Jitendra
STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh, said on Friday that India is entering a transformative era of personalised and precision medicine driven by genomics, artificial intelligence and advanced biotechnology. He said these advancements will enable early detection of diseases and targeted treatment even before symptoms appear.
Addressing the NXT Summit 2026 themed “For All Humankind” in New Delhi, the Minister highlighted that India’s vast genetic diversity and expanding genomic databases are creating unprecedented opportunities for predictive healthcare, precision diagnostics and customised treatment protocols.
Dr Singh noted that India, with over 4,000-5,000 distinct communities and one of the largest genetic pools globally, has a unique advantage in genomic research. Referring to the Genome India Project, he said genome sequencing of 10,000 Indian individuals has already been completed, while the long-term goal is to sequence one million genomes to strengthen preventive healthcare and disease prediction.
He explained that the future of medicine will be shaped by multiomics technologies including genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics integrated with artificial intelligence. Such technologies will enable doctors to design personalised prescriptions based on an individual’s genetic profile, lifestyle and environmental factors.
Dr Singh credited Narendra Modi for giving a strong impetus to biotechnology and life sciences through progressive policies. He highlighted the Bio-E3 Policy-Biotechnology for Economy, Employment and Environment-which aims to accelerate innovation in biomanufacturing and position India among global leaders in the sector.
He said India has already emerged as a major bio-manufacturing hub, ranking third in the Asia-Pacific region and among the leading global players. Initiatives such as bio-foundries, bio-manufacturing clusters and Bio-NEST incubators are supporting start-ups and scaling biotechnology innovations.
The Minister also highlighted India’s progress in genetically driven vaccines and therapies, recalling that the country developed the world’s first DNA vaccine for COVID-19 and an indigenous vaccine against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) for cervical cancer prevention.
Dr Singh further emphasised the role of AI-enabled diagnostics in improving early disease detection, particularly for conditions such as breast cancer. He said AI-based thermal imaging technologies can help extend screening services to remote villages through mobile health units.
He also spoke about emerging collaborations in space medicine between the Department of Space and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, aimed at studying biological responses in microgravity and their implications for healthcare on Earth.
Highlighting policy reforms, Dr Singh referred to the recently introduced SHANTI Act, which opens India’s nuclear sector to private participation for the first time, enabling greater investment in small modular reactors, nuclear technologies and nuclear medicine research.
He also mentioned the creation of a Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund to boost private sector participation in advanced technologies. Dr Singh concluded that India is increasingly emerging as a global hub for affordable and high-quality healthcare, backed by strong scientific research and expanding international collaborations in life sciences and biotechnology.
