The activities to be undertaken at the Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases include comprehensive genetic counselling facilities for around 2,500 families with rare disorders.

The Karnataka government is confident that these initiatives will improve understanding and management of rare genetic disorders in the state and beyond.

The Karnataka government has launched the Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases to further strengthen diagnosis, counselling, and treatment, including developing service facility for prenatal diagnosis for early identification of genetic disorders in pregnancy.

The foundation stone for the unit, which is an extension of the Centre for Human Genetics (CHG), was laid by Dr. Ashwath Narayan C.N., Minister for Higher Education; IT & BT, Science & Technology; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, Government of Karnataka.

“It is a matter of pride that CHG has taken an active role in implementing the National Policy on Rare Diseases, 2021, and is also among the 8 Centre of Excellence in the country for R&D of Rare Diseases. Scientists' long-term goal is to provide solutions for questions & challenges,” Dr. Narayan said (Twitter Link) at the Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC).

The Karnataka government is confident that these initiatives will improve understanding and management of rare genetic disorders in the state and beyond.

The activities to be undertaken at the Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases include comprehensive genetic counselling facilities for around 2,500 families with rare disorders, to be evaluated annually; increase capacity of diagnostic testing, including exome sequencing; and develop training and service facility for prenatal diagnosis for early identification of genetic disorders in pregnancy.

It will also provide hands-on training in laboratory genetics and incubate startups in developing low-cost therapies for rare disorders along with conducting regular educational modules in Kannada, English and Hindi for raising awareness of human genetic disorders.

The Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases is an extension of the present CHG building, and will be around 40,000 sqft with three floors.