The field of genomics has enormous potential towards providing preventive and personalised healthcare, and more people would benefit from it in the near future, said Governor R.N. Ravi while inaugurating the Apollo Genomics Institute here on Tuesday.
Highlighting that any such advancement in science and technology would have societal implications, he stressed the need for using genomics with discretion, care and a huge sense of responsibility. Arguing that the genomics had the potential of providing “predictive intelligence about an individual”, he said the social implications of such knowledge must be tackled carefully. If an individual, for instance, was identified to be prone to a disease, they may be denied a job by an employer or be discriminated by insurance companies.
Even for marriages, people may start exchanging genome sequences instead of horoscopes, he said jokingly.
