‘Underwhelming Indian genomics research, and gatekeeping’

Dr. Vinod Scaria advocates for balanced regulation to protect Indian genomics data and promote innovation in healthcare.

On March 9, 2024, Dr Vinod Scaria wrote an article in science page of The Hindu urging for a strong regulatory crackdown to prevent Indian biological samples from being analyzed by foreign commercial entities. His chain of reasoning includes protection of privacy, anti-discrimination, and promotion of Indian biotech ventures to provide genomics access for the masses.

At the onset, let me clarify that I am completely in favor of data privacy and protection laws. No one should be discriminated against based on their genetic background and we must enact laws to protect our vulnerable segment.

However, this article goes over and beyond patient advocacy, and wants a gatekeeping layer to prevent international commercial offerings from accessing any Indian genomics data. We are already at a loss because international research collaborations require stringent approvals from the Health Ministry, and our academic institutions can’t provide novel genomic insights from our data due to uncompetitive scientific and monetary resources. Here, I posit that an additional crackdown on international commercial genomics offerings in India will cease our access to highly advanced and innovative Western technology, and result in poor health outcomes and lack of therapeutic options for our citizenry.

India is an extremely price sensitive market and people routinely tap foreign genomics organizations to get superior insights from their biological samples at a value bargain. We have several homegrown public and private sector entities, but they remain uncompetitive compared to superior Western offerings which have access to world-class scientific talent and significantly more research funding. This is the case for genomics offerings geared across the lifespan, from infancy to gerontocracy, for both health and disease (rare genetic disorders to cancer).

India is the biggest beneficiary of open science and virtually every insight on our genomics history and disease risk profiles has originated from world-class research in Western institutions. All our genomics tools, workflows, methods, algorithms are a product of Western generosity and their progressive shared belief in open science without borders. This walled garden approach is against our espoused One World, One Health, One Future vision, and will make the global scientific community suspicious of India’s interests, and likely prevent our access to Western technology and destroy the global scientific collaborative ecosystem.

Regulatory crackdown on foreign commercial genomics ventures will also cause severe conflict of interests because several large corporations are investing in genomics infrastructure. A rash decision might result in undue commercial advantages to a few conglomerates and reduce competition and innovation in the diagnostics, therapeutics, and personalized medicine space.

I am a firm believer in Make in India for the World project, and supporting our innovative genomics startups is a no-brainer. We have tremendous potential for disruptive innovation. However, preventing competition from ultra-innovative foreign startups, from gut health to precision live bio-therapeutics, cancer and genetic risk profiling and therapeutics, without any serious improvement in the Indian innovation index will hurt the interests of our population.