CCMB gets top-notch genome sequencing unit

Hyderabad: City-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (

CCMB

) has acquired the most modern facility to sequence genomes and study genetic diseases.

Union Minister of Science and Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan on Saturday inaugurated the next generation sequencing (NGS) facility at CCMB. The facility includes cutting edge technology for high throughput genome sequencing which enables diagnostic related sequencing of clinical samples. These services will be open for clinicians, hospitals and industry as well as academicians and universities. Harsh Vardhan said with the launch of the new facility, the CCMB can now sequence up to 30 human genomes or 384 diagnostic samples in a day.

For a country like India with its heavy genetic disease burden, prenatal genetic screening and counselling are essential in preventing genetic disorders, he said adding that the genetic cause of many diseases among Indians is poorly understood.

“Much of the existing body of knowledge for therapies against these diseases comes from studies done with Caucasian populations. This facility would help in generating large scale genomic data from Indian populations - critical for genetic diagnosis and therapy. CCMB will embark on single cell genomics and transcriptomics using the powerful barcoding capacities which would help the researchers to individually tag genomes of up to 80,000 cells in eight minutes,” an official statement said. The CCMB will now be able to take up sophisticated investigation of fundamental biology of individual cells in tissues and fighting disease like cancer through understanding the heterogeneity in respective cell populations.

He later laid the foundation stone for a new skilling, training and lecture hall complex at CCMB and a “scale up facility for agrochemicals” proposed to be constructed at the pilot plant complex of CSIR-IICT, which is celebrating yearlong platinum jubilee. The IICT facility will focus on farmers interests and develop sustainable agricultural practices.