Thailand and China will join hands in a project to collect genetic data from 10,000 Thai volunteers.
Known as the National Genome and Gene Bank, this is the largest genome-sequencing project conducted in Thailand, Sirasak Teparkam, deputy director of Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), said at a press conference on Friday.
Founded in 2004 by the government, the TCELS provides a link between innovation in the life sciences and investment as well as facilitating domestic and international partnerships in the life science businesses.
The Chinese partner in this project, BGI Genomics Co Ltd, is a commercial company under the government.
The project will provide a genome database for improving public health knowledge, proper treatments and better qualified medical personnel.
"The database will be a significant tool for public health policymakers," Dr Sirasak said.
Thai people are 99.99% genetically similar, he said. Yet the remaining 0.01% means a lot in terms of medical treatment, requiring different treatments and drugs.
"That tiny difference can tell whether you have any side effects to a drug, or if the drug type will be effective or not. Studying a mass population will help guide proper medical treatments for policymakers and for individual patients," Dr Sirasak said.
Dr Jeremy Coa, of BGI Genomics Co Ltd, said the collaboration is a significant step for sharing genetic information, which will be beneficial for people in China and Asean countries.
He added that the company has provided technology and a platform for sharing genome-sequencing data, together with creating an ecosystem for collaboration and network development among researchers in China and Southeast Asia.
TCELS in 2005 launched a project to study 100 drug-related genes and genome sequencing in 1,000 Thai people to look for correlations between genetic profiles and appropriate drugs and medical treatment.
The study found that 100 of the 19,000 sets of genes from the sequenced genetic data from sampled sites show signs of drug resistance.
Apart from the collaboration with China, TCELS this year will kick off another pilot project, the Southeast Asia Human Genome and Human Bio Bank Network. The five-year project will involve 120 participants from 40 families in the region. The study would provide information about the genetic profiles of Southeast Asian populations.
Dr Wasan Chantratita, director of the Centre for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital, said genome sequencing could help policymakers find proper medical treatments.
"The country has wasted large amounts of money on drugs that are sometimes useless for patients. This genome-sequencing study will let doctors know what type of drugs will generate the best results for patients based on the genome database."
He said the information from genome sequencing could provide details about which type of drug is the most effective. This will help the country reduce expenditure on drugs and help compile a national medicine list, he said.
"A proper treatment with the right drug type and right dosage can be personally tailored to the patient. This customised medical approach will reduce public healthcare costs in general," Dr Wasan said.