China plans to build a $1 billion super-sized DNA sequencing platform in the Jiangsu Province aimed at storing genetic information of millions of its ethnic Chinese population/
The DNA project is part of the National Health & Medicine Big Data (Nanjing) Centre, a six-billion yuan (about $ one billion) project, Lan Qing, Deputy Director of the provincial Health and Family Planning Commission said.
During the first phase, health and medical information on about 80 million people, the equivalent of the population in Jiangsu, will be stored at the centre.
The designed capacity for DNA sequencing will be up to 400,000 to 500,000 samples per year.
The DNA sequencing project will be jointly undertaken by the state-owned Yangzi Group, Southeast University and Nanjing Medical University.
Researchers will then use big data created in the database to study genetic mutations related to major diseases, look for the impact of interaction between genes and environmental concerns on human heath, and provide statistical support for diagnosis and treatment of major diseases.
The programme will focus on population genetics, newborns, childhood brain and cognitive development, cancer, and rare and chronic diseases.
The database is expected to be complete in around four years.
