We are losing valuable time in not focussing on this golden opportunity to unravel high value IPR by way of disease-linked genes and the diagnostic and therapeutic products emanating thereof. Huntingdon's disease, a fatal hereditary disease that causes neuro-muscular degeneration, is a classic example of how an inbred Venezuelan Tribe provided the invaluable genetic information to a lone woman crusader, Nancy Wexlar. This now makes diagnosis of Huntingdon's syndrome possible. A therapeutic solution is now underway. If a lone American woman could crack Huntingdon's disease in far flung Venezuela, just think of what Indian scientists can do with their own inbred communities by way of providing startling, high value information relating to genetic diseases.
Clues already exist to the potential of working on our own populations.
For instance, Parsi women are known to be prone to certain forms of breast cancer. Thalessemia is another genetic disease prevalent in many inbred Indian societies and so on and so forth. Pharmacogenomics is another rapidly growing segment which is providing a wealth of information pertaining to defective or missing genes which call for differentiated medicine - a new avenue for drug research. Given our abundant patient populations, Indian scientists can play a significant role in harnessing this very high value genomic information. The race for discovering new lead molecules is frenzied in the Pharmaceutical arena.