National Current Affairs
India’s GARBH‑INi Initiative to Predict Preterm Births Early
- 27 Mar 2026
- 2 min read
Why in News?
The GARBH‑INi (Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes) initiative, a flagship programme of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Government of India, is transforming maternal and child health research by integrating advanced science, artificial intelligence (AI), and data‑driven approaches to predict and prevent adverse birth outcomes like preterm births.
Key Points
- Background: India faces one of the highest burdens of preterm births globally, which significantly contribute to neonatal and child mortality and long‑term health complications.
- Study: India’s largest pregnancy cohort study under the GARBH‑INi initiative tracks around 12,000 pregnant women with the goal of preventing preterm births through advanced research.
- The initiative is focused on creating AI‑based predictive models, including pregnancy dating tools tailored specifically to the Indian population, enabling early identification of women at risk of preterm birth.
- GARBH‑INi: It combines clinical epidemiology, multi‑omics research (genomics, proteomics, microbiome studies), and AI‑based predictive modelling to create comprehensive tools for early risk identification and personalized interventions during pregnancy.
- Objective: The programme aims to develop rapid diagnostic tools, including microbiome based biotherapeutics technology, which could be transferred and scaled across research and clinical settings.
- Data-Sharing Platform: A digital platform named GARBH-INi-DRISHTI has been developed to enable researchers to access and share data for scientific studies.
- Significance: India’s bioeconomy has expanded from around $10 billion in 2014 to approximately $195 billion, with the country now gaining global recognition for its expertise in preventive and primary healthcare.
| Read More: Artificial intelligence |
