Project to study genetic basis of longevity in Parsi community

California, USA-based Affymetrix says that it has signed an agreement with Avesthagen, a biotechnology company based in Bangalore, India. Under the terms of the deal, Affymetrix' microarray technology will be used for The AVESTAGENOME Project, a comprehensive genetic study of more than 60,000 Parsi individuals. The project will explore the genetic basis of longevity and create a genetic, genealogic and medical database of the Parsi-Zoroastrian population.

31% of the Parsi population lives beyond the age of 60, compared to 7% nationally. A better understanding of the genetic causes of longevity could have a major impact on the Indian government's health care budget, as well as drug companies' marketing efforts.

The use of Affymetrix technology will enable researchers to correlate genes with longevity, as well as neurodegenerative conditions, breast cancer, diabetes and other complex diseases that affect the Parsi community. The US company says that Parsi community was selected because of its longevity and its relatively genetically homogeneous population.