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Bringing bad news to the fight against HIV/AIDS, a new study has shown that people in India do not have natural or genetic protection against the deadly virus.
A study by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has found that a known genetic marker against HIV-1 is virtually absent in Indians, implying lack of natural or genetic protection against HIV/AIDS.
The study also makes an effort to tabulate a genetic landscape of the Indian people for various diseases.
"This is the largest endeavour in the field of biology after the green revolution," Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said, releasing the research report.
"These findings can be used for making predictions of both diseases as also the effectiveness of specific drugs used for various diseases," he said.
Over 150 scientists and researchers from six CSIR laboratories were drawn for the project, which has been published in the Journal of Genetics.
"This is probably the first time a whole country has been mapped genetically. The findings will also throw light on some other diseases, including diabetes and malaria," CSIR DG Samir K Brahmachari, who headed the project, said.