NEW DELHI, March 13: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh declared today that India is ushering in a transformative era of personalized and precision medicine, powered by genomics, AI, and biotechnology, enabling disease detection and targeted treatments before symptoms emerge.
Speaking at the NXT Summit 2026—”For All Humankind”—Dr Singh highlighted India’s vast genetic diversity, with over 4,000–5,000 communities forming one of the world’s largest genetic pools. He noted the Genome India project’s completion of 10,000 genome sequences, aiming for one million to bolster preventive healthcare.
“Tomorrow’s medicine will be personalised medicine, precision medicine and prescription tailored specifically for the individual patient,” he stated, envisioning multi-omics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) integrated with AI to customize treatments based on genetics, lifestyle, and environment.
Dr Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push via the Bio-E3 Policy for economy, employment, and environment, positioning India as Asia-Pacific’s third-largest bio-manufacturing hub. Supported by bio-foundries, clusters, and Bio-NEST incubators, biotechnology is poised to spark the next industrial revolution.
He spotlighted achievements like India’s first DNA vaccine for COVID-19, HPV vaccine for cervical cancer, and gene-therapy trials for haemophilia. AI-driven diagnostics, including thermal imaging for breast cancer screening in remote villages via mobile units, are enhancing early detection and curability.
Emerging frontiers include space-medicine collaborations between ISRO and AIIMS on microgravity effects, and the SHANTI Act opening nuclear tech to private players for small modular reactors and treatments like leukemia therapies. A ₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund will fuel private innovation in biotech and nuclear medicine.
Dr Singh affirmed India’s rise as a global healthcare hub, drawing international collaborations through forums like the Parliamentarians’ Forum on Life Sciences.
