Vladimir Putin chaired a videoconference meeting on the development of genetic technology in Russia, presidential web page reports.
“Russia must have an entire range of studies on the prevention and treatment of serious diseases, increasing life expectancy, improving the environment, cleaning our soil, water and air, as well as using biofuels. In other words, we are talking about a whole range of sectors, from medicine and agriculture to manufacturing and energy, where genetic technologies offer colossal opportunities,” he said. “We must use them to our advantage and in the interests of our people, developing and building up our own research and technology potential.”
For that, “world-scale genome centers are being established” while the government is “now working on a long-term economic development plan. Its main objective is to ensure not only economic revival but also a new growth quality, including through deep structural changes and accelerated technological development in all spheres,” the President noted. “The success of genetic research is largely determined by digital technology and access to the array of data. The bigger it is, the more authentic and reliable the results are. Just as in research instrument making, we must ensure our sovereignty in this area. I suggest establishing a national base of genetic information, using our considerable expertise and best practices in bioinformatics.”