April - June 2024 | Vol 15 | Issue 2 BIOCLUES SPEAKS | | | | | Newsletter Editors: Rashmi Sukumaran and Prashanth N Suravajhala “You don't have to hold a grudge against somebody, because it poisons you and the other person won't even remember. I felt successful when others considered me unsuccessful because I was in full control of what I was doing.” Katalin Karikó, Nobel Laureate in medicine 2023 |
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Dear Members,
Bioclues is a non-profit virtual organization for, by, and of the Indian Bioinformaticians. One of the fastest growing bioinformatics societies in India, Bioclues was built on the foundation of connecting people. Bioclues aims to bring together the Indian bioinformaticians, foster a strong working mentor-mentee relationship, provide access to bioinformatics resources, organize conferences and workshops besides imparting information about research, training, education, employment, and current events and news from bioinformatics, genomics, and related fields. Bioclues enters its 20th year this October and we would like to organize several events to celebrate this. This year’s #INBIX2024 is in conjunction with #ADNAT2024 during November 28-3. So, save the date! Read on to know more about our latest events and members Stay Safe and Be healthy
Yours in Team Bioclues
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The growing facets of mentorship! | Bioclues marks 20th year in service this October and we have had countless number of successful mentees, which we at Bioclues boast of. Mentorship is above everything, viz. Supervision, teaching, researching and collaborating. Every generation needs mentoring. Over the years, I always guzzled wonderful mentorship from my mentors and I still enjoy and seek guidance from my mentors. However, the current generation of mentor-mentee relationships can be more successful if there is room for some special embellishments. Here are a few suggestions for you: - Keep it simple, but sacred and stupid but smart
- Start from pleasantries NOT direct researching
- Embrace science
- Look into the eye of the beholder
- Always ask the whys, whats, hows and when
- Setup a timeline!
- Oops, please keep PLan B
- Expect, but hope for the best
- Challenge mediocrity and come up with excellence!
- Always, say #TogetherWeCan
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Geneticists Clinicians Consortium of India (GCCI) | The GCCI initiative was taken jointly by Bioclues.org and Aabir Bio-Services Foundation (ABSF) in 2020. At GCCI, our purpose is simple: bridge the gap between clinicians and geneticists. In 2005, we started with Bioclues (http://bioclues.org/), with a view to serve as a hub for mentor-mentee relationships. Over the years this expanded further and several initiatives were taken to create and disseminate information both basic and recent through our online platform and webinars. In due course GCCI was established in collaboration with Aabir Bio-Services Foundation (https://www.bio-services.org/). Aabir Bio-Services Foundation (ABSF) is a “not-for-profit” Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and it is registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. Aabir Bio-Services Foundation is committed to bridge the gap between science and society through continuous public engagement programmes and knowledge transfer about common and preventable diseases in women and girls in India since its inception in 2011. One of the core objectives of Aabir Bio-Services Foundation is to support the dissemination of information from scientific research and create awareness to enhance the profession of genetic counseling in India. Our aim is to bridge the gap between the geneticists and clinicians of India and promote high standards in genetic counseling with the help of our qualified health care team and certified genetic counselors. Besides the prominent inherited genetic conditions, we also recognize the increasing burden of environment and lifestyle induced acquired genetic disorders, deteriorating reproductive health amongst the population and sexually transmitted disease in women and are committed to addressing the associated health issues.
Genetic counselors are healthcare providers who offer personalized information and support to individuals and families impacted by genetic conditions. They play a crucial role in guiding families through decisions related to genetic testing and management. In addition, they help individuals and couples make informed decisions about family planning, prenatal testing, and assisted reproductive techniques. They work closely with other healthcare providers, such as geneticists, obstetricians, oncologists, and pediatricians, to create a personalized recommendation for screening, monitoring and preventative care based on the individual’s genetic risk profile.
Facing the possibility or confirmation of a genetic condition can be emotionally challenging. Genetic counselors provide support, address concerns, and help individuals and families adjust to a new diagnosis. They advocate for their clients’ needs and address ethical dilemmas surrounding genetic testing, informed consent, confidentiality, and the responsible use of genetic information in clinical practice. Genetic counselors support public health initiatives by raising awareness about genetic disorders, develop and promote carrier screening programs, and advocate for genetic literacy among healthcare professionals and the general public. With ongoing advancements in genetic research and technology, genetic counseling ensures that individuals benefit from up-to-date information and resources relevant to their genetic health.
In India, genetic counseling is an emerging field that is gradually gaining recognition and importance. India has a diverse population with a significant burden of genetic disorders. While the scope of genetic counseling in India is growing, we continue to face several challenges such as lack of awareness and access to these services particularly in rural and remote areas. This along with the variability in healthcare infrastructure across regions, and cultural beliefs about genetic conditions hinders timely access to genetic counseling for individuals and families who may benefit from it. There is an urgent need for more genetic counselors across India to meet the growing demand for genetic services. Addressing these challenges requires collaborative efforts from policymakers, healthcare providers, educators, and community organizations to improve awareness, expand access to services, increase genetic counseling training opportunities, and develop appropriate policies to support the growth of this field in India.
The Geneticists and Clinicians of India (GCCI) initiative was founded with the aim to bridge the gap between the geneticists and clinicians of India and promote high standards in genetic counseling with the help of our qualified health care team and certified genetic counselors. Currently, there are limited training programs and educational opportunities for genetic counseling compared to other countries. To help address this gap, GCCI is working to create educational opportunities for aspiring genetic counselors through the development of training programs, workshops, and continuing education courses. We hope to create and offer a 1-year diploma course in genetic counseling with future expansion to more advanced academic programs like a Master’s and Ph.D. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive and effective course in genetic counseling that not only meets the needs of the Indian healthcare system but also contributes to promoting high standards in genetic counseling practice. This initiative can play a significant role in expanding training opportunities and making genetic care more accessible to the masses. The main guiding goals of GCCI is to promote the science and practice of Human Genetics in India: - To promote scientific collaborations in human genetics, genomics and allied scientific disciplines.
- To impart education on specialized topics in human genetics, genomics and allied scientific disciplines through the organization of summer and winter schools, workshops, symposia and conferences, meetings, etc.
- To promote public understanding on human genetics, genomics and allied scientific disciplines.
- To publish periodic newsletters, articles, etc. for enhancing communication among scientists and community outreach.
- To serve as a vehicle for interaction of human geneticists with patient collation groups, funding agencies, clinical and scientific societies of relevance, etc., for more effective conduct of scientific research and translation in human genetics, genomics and allied scientific disciplines.
- To undertake projects for enhancement of basic understanding of genomics and health, and for genomics-based improvement of human health and welfare.
- To bridge the gap between geneticists and clinicians in bringing an effective collaborative groups.
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| | | | Secretary - GCCI Scientific Editor - ABSF | | |
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"Sky is the limit" is more than a saying for Aabir Bio-Services Foundation; it is a guiding principle. One of our core objectives is to support the dissemination of scientific research and raise awareness to advance the profession of genetic counseling in India. Our mission is to bridge the gap between geneticists and clinicians in India and promote high standards in genetic counseling, leveraging the expertise of our qualified healthcare team and certified genetic counselors. This motivation led to the establishment of the GCCI.
Leaving no stone unturned, the foundation not only organizes public lectures and awareness programs but also strives to reach as many people as possible worldwide. Recently, we organized a podcast through The Rationale, a science popularization platform, where Saima Naz Khan, PhD discussed the importance of genetic counselors in the healthcare system, particularly in a country like ours with a highly heterogeneous genetic makeup.
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Kiran K Telukunta represents Bioclues and TMS foundation at #GCC2024 in Brno, Czech Republic | | |
| Kiran presents the work titled, “Aqua Metagenomic Analyses Using Galaxy Reveals an Admixture of Organisms Associated with Diverse Environments” authored by Srishti Singh, Rakesh Tiwari, Ziaul Hasan, Rajarshi Mondal, Kiran K Telukunta, Jayaraman Valadi and Prashanth Suravajhala. The work was ideated as a part of mentor-mentee relationships. Congratulations to all the authors! | | |
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| | Integrated Systems Bioinformatics Workshop 2024 | | |
| A 2 week Integrated Systems Bioinformatics (summer) workshop was held from June 24th to 5th July, 2024, 6-8 pm IST. A total of 23 participants from all over the world participated. This is the 20th annual workshop being conducted since 2005. | | |
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 | Journal Club Talk | by Prashanth N Suravajhala, PhD, Founder Bioclues & Principal Scientist, Amrita School of Biotechnology on May 24, 2024. | | |
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|  | GCCI Webinar: Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing: What to Expect? | by Sunita Yadav, PhD, Head, Strategic Project Management - Pharma, CRO and AGH on May 29, 2024. |
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 | GCCI Webinar: Unlocking the future - A journey into Genetic Counselling | Jeanny Dominic, MSc, MBA, Genetic Counsellor in Prenetics (Ex) on June 26, 2024. | | |
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| |  | #INBIX2024/ADNAT2024 at BHU, Varanasi. November 28-30, 2024. Upcoming! |
|  |  | | | South Asian Network on Bioinformatics 2024 (#SANBIX2024). August 3, 2024. upcoming! Journal club presentations. perpetual. Please visit Linkedin for updates
In ‘Sci’versation with Prash (Perpetual)
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Introducing IN-KIND Life Memberships | Dear Members, Bioclues as a non-profit organization would like to introduce 100 "in-kind" Life Members (LM) of our society and accorded from all States and Union Territories of India. In the next one month, we want to have 100 "in-kind" LMs who are needy, facing financial problems, but loves doing bioinformatics, and are eager to join this society. If you have any student who is deprived of taking services at the expense of not being able to pay the membership fee, please let us know! The members would be given a full fee waiver for Life Membership. We anticipate that these less-privileged members will bring one paid LM each in due course.
Contact our secretary to express your interest sugu...@bioclues.org |
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FEATURED LIFE MEMBER OF THE QUARTER |
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| | Senior Project Associate
Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology
Trivandrum, Kerala, India LinkedIn | Research Gate |
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I am a proud member of Bioclues since 2018, and I have had the opportunity to connect with distinguished researchers, participate in insightful discussions, and stay updated on the latest advancements in computational biology and genetics, through Bioclues. My career as a computational biologist began as an undergraduate intern at Temasek LifeSciences Laboratory, under the supervision of Prof. Laszlo Orban and mentor, Ms. Rajini Sreenivasan back in 2006. If not for these kind souls, who gently guided me, I would not have fallen in love with research and made this my career. Here, I developed my first software to identify markers from fluoMEP data. The direct impact of the work in tilapia farms in Singapore to identify the sex of the fishes using markers made me realize how a code written by me can be used to help the world. After graduation from NUS in 2009, I was fortunate enough to work with one of the pioneers of Bioinformatics in Singapore, Prof. Tan Tin Wee and one of the most inspiring researcher, Prof. Asif Khan. I realized what passion truly means, and how to strive to be a better scientist from them. I was introduced to NGS while working under the brilliant mentorship of Prof. Swaine Chen at the Genome Institute of Singapore. He took me under his wings and trained me to be the computational biologist I am today. He taught me to think like a programmer and tackle each problem by getting down to the foundation of the problem.
These experiences enabled me to launch a genomics start-up, Massive Data Analytics, along with my co-founder Ms. Shahina, incubated at University of Kerala from 2016 to 2020, where we customized pipelines for NGS data analysis for academic clients. We also trained students, as well as professionals in analyzing NGS data from scratch. Our start-up was awarded seed grant of Rs. 2 lakhs by Kerala Start-Up Mission, Govt. of Kerala, and was recognized as the top 25 Impact start-up at the Global Impact Challenge 2018 by Singularity University. During the pandemic, I pivoted back to academics entirely for my doctoral research.
As we navigate the vast genomic landscape today, data science emerges as an indispensable tool, enabling us to extract meaningful patterns. Hence, in my doctoral research, under the supervision of Prof. Achuthsankar S. Nair and Prof. Moinak Banerjee, I was passionate about advancing our understanding of population genomics through data-driven approaches. Epidemiological data from 204 countries from 2009 to 2019 was analyzed to find the distribution of stroke and its comorbid diseases across the globe. Using a variety of statistical measures, we highlighted how different comorbid diseases were possibly affecting the burden of stroke differently in the various populations. Ethnic-specific genetic models establishing the relationships between stroke and its comorbid diseases were identified in the European and East Asian population using genomic structural equation modelling. Two latent factors, an immunological factor and a metabolic factor, were identified and characterised in each population. The genetic evidence in our research showed that there is ethnic and comorbid specific genetic correlation between stroke and its comorbidities, and thus, it is very pertinent to understand the stroke risk from an ethnic view point, beyond the boundaries of socio-economic criteria. Currently, I am working as a senior project associate in the Human Molecular Genetics laboratory of Dr. Moinak Banerjee in the DBT-Mission project on Paediatric Rare Genetic Disorders (PRaGeD). PRaGeD is a pan-India project with 16 collaborating institutions. The project aims to find causal variants in paediatric patients with undiagnosed genetic disorders by performing trio whole exome or genome sequencing, followed by functional validation. This project is generously funded by DBT so as to extend the service free of cost to the patients. By harnessing the power of collaborative efforts within Bioclues and beyond, let us together strive to make meaningful strides in science worldwide. |
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WELCOME TO NEW LIFE MEMBERS |
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Bioclues team welcomes her new life members | - Shikha Suman
- Shailendra Singh
- Ritwika Sur Chaudhuri
- Prajjval Pratap Singh
- R.Priyadharshini
- Raju Mondal
- Pragati Gupta
- Poonam S. Deshpande
- Eshita Mukherjee
- Abhilasha Chaudhary
- Shrijit Jaigopal
- Saima N Khan
- V. Sivaramakrishnan
- Hariharan P
- Aishwarya Kappagantu
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| Benefits enjoyed by a Life Member |  |
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| | Enabling everyone to do science that matters by always pushing the limits |
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| | | A solution provider for Precision Medicine / Next-Generation Digital Pathology and provides fully integrated cutting-edge tissue cytometers |
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE? |
We would love to publish your research highlights, achievements, popular science articles, poems, drawing, cartoon or photographs. Write to us at pr...@bioclues.org. |
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