The Government of India has expanded its research initiatives in various areas of biotechnology and AI, including computational biology, genomics, healthcare, medical imaging, and more. The initiatives aim to establish a robust national ecosystem for AI-enabled biotechnology.
The Government of India has expanded its efforts in the realm of biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to include research in computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, healthcare, medical imaging, biomanufacturing, biological data science, and other areas. This expansion aligns with NITI Aayog’s 'AI for All' strategy that aims for inclusive economic growth and social development.
One of the major initiatives undertaken is Theoretical & Computational Biology Programme, which has been conducted through Bioinformatics Centres under BTISNet across the country. Additionally, various R&D projects integrating biotechnology with AI, Machine Learning, and advanced computational approaches have been initiated.
The Department of the Government is supporting AI-driven cancer imaging research for precision diagnostics through development of prediction models and algorithms. An Imaging biobank for cancer programme has also been supported in network mode.
GenomeIndia Project has completed sequencing over 10,000 Indian genomes, established a national biobank, developed genomic databases, and is promoting downstream research and indigenous precision medicine applications using GenomeIndia data through AI/ML tools.
The Department has established a national repository for biological data – Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC), with high-performance computing infrastructure. IBDC has seven specialized biological data repositories for equitable sharing of biological data.
In collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Government is implementing AI for Ultrasound (AI for USG) programme and catalysing equitable AI Use to Improve Global Health through Grand Challenges India (GCI).
Source:
Press Information Bureau
