India Poised to Lead in Exposomics Research, Says Expert

India is on the verge of becoming a global leader in exposomics research, a promising field that could revolutionize disease prevention and health understanding, said Dr. Kalpana Balakrishnan, Dean of Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research.

Speaking to PTI after participating in a recent exposomics forum hosted by Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC, Dr. Balakrishnan highlighted India’s unique health landscape—a blend of traditional and modern risk factors—as making the country “a natural laboratory” for exposome science.

Exposomics is the study of the “exposome,” a term coined by Dr. Christopher Wild in 2005, which encompasses the totality of environmental exposures a person experiences from conception to death. This includes factors like air quality, diet, lifestyle, and occupational hazards.

“Health isn’t shaped by genes alone; it’s in the air and all around us,” Dr. Balakrishnan said, emphasizing the importance of understanding environmental influences on health outcomes. She stressed that exposomics research could enable targeted public health interventions, especially in countries like India facing diverse environmental challenges.

The emerging field offers new avenues to prevent diseases by addressing environmental exposures, thereby complementing traditional genetic and clinical research. India’s growing focus on exposomics could position it as a pioneer in global health innovation.