Over 100 experts from 10 countries and across India are analysing 25 complex patient cases using fresh whole‑genome data over a 48‑hour period at the country’s first ‘Undiagnosed Disease Hackathon’, launched on Tuesday at at Biotechnology Research Innovation Council-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (BRIC-CDFD).
The three‑day event features key participants including Wilhelm Foundation chair Helene Cederroth and co‑founder Mikk Cederroth from Sweden, leading geneticist Ashwin Dalal, senior geneticist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (New Delhi) Ratna Dua Puri and David Pierce from the United States.
The Wilhelm Foundation, started by parents who lost three children to an undiagnosed illness, aims to ensure that every rare or unknown disease case receives a diagnosis through global collaboration. Timely diagnosis, the foundation says, opens the door to treatment, support and hope, particularly vital in India where gaps in resources for rare diseases remain significant.
Globally, around 350 million people, including many families in India, face years of uncertainty due to undiagnosed diseases, with genome sequencing solving only about 40% of cases. The programme is also supported by the Society for the Indian Academy of Medical Genetics, a network of Indian geneticists working on precision diagnosis and the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network, the press release added.
Published – February 04, 2026 07:12 pm IST
