The GARBH-INi (Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes) initiative of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) focuses on addressing preterm births, a significant contributor to neonatal mortality and long-term health complications.
The outcomes and learnings of the programme were highlighted by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, during a programme on “Disseminating Learnings and Outcomes of GARBH-INi” held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
The programme is based on a pregnancy cohort study of 12,000 women, one of the largest in South Asia, and has generated a large dataset including over 1.6 million biospecimens and more than 1 million ultrasound images.
Key outcomes of the programme include:
. Development of AI-based pregnancy dating models tailored for Indian populations
. Identification of microbiome-based predictors of preterm birth
. Discovery of genetic markers for risk assessment
. Development of rapid diagnostic tools for early detection
A national biorepository has been established under the programme to support long-term research. The GARBH-INi-DRISHTI platform has been launched as a data-sharing system to facilitate access for researchers and enable collaborative studies.
The initiative has also enabled industry partnerships and technology transfer, including collaboration with Sundyota Numandis Probioceuticals Pvt. Ltd., and Letters of Intent with DOTO Health Pvt. Ltd. and Qure.ai Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for scaling diagnostic and risk assessment tools.
GARBH-INi integrates clinical research, multi-omics data and digital approaches to develop indigenous solutions for early prediction and management of preterm births.
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