One of the co-founders of ‘Genome Asia Project’, MedGenome, the Bengaluru-based, diagnostics and genomics research company, aims to study genomes of one lakh Asians to help accelerate Asian genome specific medical advances.
With goal to build a database that could be accessed by academics, hospitals, pharmaceuticals and government agencies, the company intends to undertake diagnostics of clinical diseases of close to one lakh South and Southeast Asians in association with South Korean biotech firm Macrogen Inc and Singapore-based Nanyang Technological University.
VL Ramprasad, Chief Operating Officer, Medgenome, said the process is on to narrow down the area of focus to select medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, select cardiovascular diseases and rare genetic diseases.
The company which raised $4 million in Series A in 2013 and $20 million in Series B funding in 2015, has already sequenced the genomes of 2,500 people from India, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos.
MedGenome is a referral lab for several diagnostic labs, which do not have in-house genetic testing capabilities. The company carries out neurological genetic diseases screening (such as epileptic diseases and delayed development in children), genetic testing and screening for cancers and cancer treatment, NIPT (non-invasive pre-natal test for chromosomal
disorders) and pre-natal screening and diagnosis for in vitro fertilisation cases, genetic testing for eye disorders, muscular and cardiac disorders.Further, Ramprasad said the company will be the technological partner for the project on cardiac diseases such as myocardial infarction, hypertension and sudden cardiac deaths, in collaboration with Glasgow University. The project will have 600 patients and MedGenome is spending close to $300 per patient.
