Cohort Connect 2025 Showcases Phenome India, a National Health Cohort and Biobank

Overview

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the two-day conclave at CSIR-IMMT in Bhubaneswar.
• Phenome India (PI-CHeCK) reported enrollment of over 10,000 CSIR employees, pensioners and spouses across 37 laboratories in 16 states.
• Preliminary findings indicate one in three participants has fatty liver and 25–30% of fibrosis occurs without fatty liver, with investigators noting possible gut microbiome links.
• The event outlined plans to build a national biobank, standardise data and expand sharing to drive evidence-based policy and biomedical innovation.
• Officials cited parallel genomics progress, including roughly 10,000 human genomes sequenced, a target of one million, and an indigenous haemophilia gene-therapy trial.