Chennai: The CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre (CSIR-SERC) and CSIR Madras Complex (CMC) jointly organised a four-day health check-up camp under the 'Phenome India - Phase II' initiative from July 13 to 16 at the CSIR Campus in Taramani.

The camp was conducted as part of the 'Phenome India - CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CHeCK)' initiative launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi.

The initiative aims to build a comprehensive health database of the CSIR community and develop personalised risk prediction scores for major lifestyle diseases.

India, like many countries, is witnessing a sharp rise in cardio-metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease, largely due to changing lifestyles and increasing life expectancy.

The PI-CHeCK study seeks to address this by collecting detailed health data, including clinical history, dietary habits, body composition, imaging, blood biochemistry, and molecular assay data, to aid precision medicine tailored to the Indian population.

Around 220 individuals participated in the camp. The programme was coordinated by Dr. S. Maheswaran, Senior Principal Scientist, and Shri P. Vasudevan, Senior Technical Officer. Dr. N. Anandavalli, Director, CSIR-SERC and Coordinating Director, CMC, also took part in the event.

CSIR, one of India's largest R&D organisations, comprises a network of 37 laboratories across the country.