Vingroup unveils ambitious project to decode Vietnamese genome

The Institute of Big Data (IBD) under Vingroup has announced a US$4.5 million project to sequence the Vietnamese human genome with a view to applying the findings to medical treatment.

The project will sequence and analyse the genomes of 1,000 Vietnamese persons.
The project will sequence and analyse the genomes of 1,000 Vietnamese persons.

The project is scheduled to commence in 2019 and last for five years, during which the genomes of 1,000 persons will be sequenced to create a database of genetic variation which could be used for further research on the Vietnamese human genome.

In the three-year first phase, scientists will collect the samples of 1,000 Vietnamese persons and cooperate with foreign partners to sequence and analyse the whole genome with deep coverage and build a genetic variation database for the Vietnamese population.

Based on this database, scientists will then build reference panels in order to serve correlation studies on the whole genetic system, hereditary diseases and pharmacogenetics.

According to IBD’s Scientific Director this is the foundation for not only research in the second stage but also for other genetic research in Vietnam.

In the second phase, the project will focus on correlation studies on the whole genetic system to develop testing methods for a number of hereditary diseases and the harmful reactions to medications.

The project’s research group has already been cooperating with researchers on genetics and hereditary diseases in the US, Germany and Japan.

The sequencing and analysis of the human genome will have major impacts on other fields, notably medicine, pharmacology, biotechnology and anthropology.

Genetic research will facilitate the early detection, warning and treatment of certain diseases and the development of diagnostic and treatment methods targeted at individuals.