CHENNAI: The University of Madras has begun offering a clinical genomics week-long elective certificate course to final-year MBBS students of Madras Medical College (MMC).
The varsity’s first such course for medical students is being conducted through the department of genetics. The initiative follows a formal request from MMC dean to the head of the department of genetics, seeking the conduct of the course for students who opted for clinical genomics. The first batch of the course was held from December 12 to 18 last year, and 32 third-year MBBS students enrolled for the elective.
The elective is designed to provide students with structured exposure to the rapidly evolving field of genomics and its growing relevance in clinical practice. The curriculum includes an overview of human genetics and genomic variation, principles and workflow of next-generation sequencing (NGS), interpretation of genomic data, variant classification, and reporting standards.
AK Munirajan, head of the department of genetics, said clinical genomics is increasingly becoming integral to diagnosis and personalised treatment. “We have been offering a Master’s and PhD programme in genetics,” he said.
MMC dean Dr K Shantaram noted the genetics elective has been introduced for the first time this academic year as part of the National Medical Commission’s elective posting framework.