Lost without a DNA map

IT8217;S going to make a difference,8217;8217; says 81-year-old Mithiben Shah, holding her right arm tight. She8217;s among the 632 Kach...

IT8217;S going to make a difference,8217;8217; says 81-year-old Mithiben Shah, holding her right arm tight. She8217;s among the 632 Kachchhi Dassa Oswal Jains KDOs who8217;ve given blood samples at the first ever DNA mapping of a community in the country.

Until recently the Parsis were the community known to have a numbers problem. The DNA mapping, held in Mumbai over the weekend, just brought to light the population plight of another community8212;the KDOs.

At 29,000 worldwide, this self-described 8216;conscientious8217; community with a near 100 per cent literacy and an enviable 50:50 male to female ratio, has been conducting its own census since 1925.

It was their latest findings that set the alarm bells ringing. Between 1925 and 2002, the KDO population has grown by a mere 17,000. The crucial 0-14 age group stands at 19 per cent of the total population which is a disturbing 4 per cent lower than the above 50 age group. This implies that by 2015 the number of KDOs could actually drop to 27,000.

This being the case, a casual conversation between the community8217;s leading personality, former Director General of Police, Special Investigations, Uttar Pradesh, Mahendra Lalka and the Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Dr Lalji Singh, set the ball rolling for the country8217;s first ever DNA mapping of a community.

Held at 3 KDO-prominent centres in Mumbai8212;the metropolis is incidentally home to almost half of the total KDO population8212;the weekend-long 8216;blood donation8217; camp, as the DNA mapping was called, saw an enthusiastic 632 KDOs donate blood.

They8217;re not too sure how DNA mapping will help restore or even stop their numbers from falling, but they8217;re giving it a shot in any case.

		How can DNA mapping help?

			Since the entire gene structure genome of the human, plant and animal race is known to scientists, using a DNA marker you can amplify a gene, sequence it in the chromosome and tell if there is a mutation. Once you locate the defective gene, the medical advice could range from having the gene corrected through a series of tests to lifestyle changes. Story continues below this ad

8216;8216;If a blood sample is going to help trace the defects in our genes or maybe in our lifestyles, and help us rectify these defects and save our numbers, why not go for DNA mapping?8217;8217; asks 41-year-old Investment Consultant Paresh Dand, a member of the Community Census team.

Is DNA mapping then an option for reviving a community8217;s numbers?

8216;8216;Not really,8217;8217; says Dr Singh. 8216;8216;It8217;s very expensive and very lengthy.8217;8217; The KDOs, in fact, are lucky. Being the first community to be mapped, the entire exercise is being conducted free of cost by the Hyderabad Centre. And as for the difference the mapping will make to the KDOs numbers, Dr Singh is optimistic. 8216;8216;The DNA samples will help us trace the abnormalities if any in the genealogical makeup of this community. It8217;s then up to the community to heed the advice we give them.8217;8217;

He adds that the advice could include marrying outside the community, as 8216;8216;inbreeding often leads to fertility issues8217;8217;.

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Whether or not such advice will be heeded is to be seen, for the moment though, the DNA mapping is a ray of hope for Mithiben Shah and her swiftly dwindling community.