NEW YORK — The Avestagenome Project, a group studying the genetics of India's Parsi minority population, has formed an alliance with the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) to research rare genetic disorders, the partners said Monday.
As part of the project, launched by Indian biotech firm Avesthagen, participants are using next-generation sequencing to investigate the unique genetics of Zoroastrian Parsis, a well-defined Indian population of fewer than 70,000, according to the company. Traits such as longevity and higher incidences of certain diseases such as Parkinson's disease are common among members of the group, Avesthagen said.
Under the terms of their deal, the Avestagenome Project and TIGS will use a biobank from US-based population genetics company Agenome that contains 4,700 blood samples from the Zoroastrian Parsi community to research the genetics of rare diseases including congenital deafness, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Specifically, the partners aim to identify biomarkers that can be used in population-scale diagnostic and screening assays; explore the use of messenger RNA-based treatments in lieu of enzyme replacement therapies; examine the potential of in vivo gene therapy for diseases that impact Zoroastrian Parsis; and uncover genetic variants that influence drug efficacy and safety.
"A significant amount of genome data from segregated communities such as the Parsi community in India, with associated metadata, offers the potential for fast and accurate diagnosis and novel treatments for difficult-to-diagnose diseases," TIGS Director Rakesh Mishra said in a statement. "Our partnership aims to bring advanced genome science benefits to society."
TIGS is a partnership among the University of California, San Diego, the India-based philanthropic Tata Trusts, and Bangalore, India-based Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.