Company
Founded in March 2022 and officially established in October 2023, our company is a trailblazer in the field of statistical genetics and polygenic scoring. The organization is led by Dr. CHEN Guolan (Founder & CEO), who holds a PhD in Statistical Genetics & Machine Learning from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and a B.S. in Biostatistics from Fudan University. Co-founder and principal technical advisor, Dr. Justin D. Tubbs, is currently a Postdoc at Harvard Medical School with a PhD in Behavioral Genetics & Bioinformatics from HKU. He also served as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow at NIH and holds B.S. degrees in Biology and Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). We also have other full-time and part-time members from world-leading universities, specializing in different areas.
Our team originates from a world-leading lab in statistical genetics based at HKU's Medical Faculty and is advised by the eminent Prof. Pak Chung Sham. This strong academic foundation has propelled us to the forefront of innovation, as evidenced by our numerous accolades. In 2022, we secured the Second Prize at the 8th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, as well as National Bronze Medals at the 7th and 8th China International College Students' "Internet Plus" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Additionally, we were finalists in the Startup Group of the 8th "Challenge Cup" China College Students Entrepreneurship Competition (GBA Branch) in 2021 and received a National Bronze Medal at the 9th "Challenge Cup" China College Students Entrepreneurship Competition in 2022. Our venture also made it to the TOP20 at the Startup Group of the 1st Qianhai Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Entrepreneurship Competition in 2022.
We have been recipients of prestigious grants and incubation programs, including the Cyberport CCMF, which we completed by April 2021, and the HKSTP IDEATION ✖️ HKU iDendron SEED Program, which we completed by May 2023.
Our multidisciplinary expertise, strong academic affiliations, and proven track record in innovation position us as a leading player in utilizing statistical genomics toolkits to address complex challenges in healthcare and beyond.
Description
Gene to Health Limited is the first company in Asia envisioning comprehensive applications of polygenic scoring technologies. We have developed multiple pipelines for a product suite called Gene to Health Plus (G2H+), which offers intelligent phenotypic prediction platforms with a wide range of applications. G2H+ represents our commitment to translating cutting-edge advancements in statistical genomics, with polygenic scoring technologies at its core, into practical products for diverse end users. By leveraging information from thousands of large-scale genomic studies (GWAS data) and millions of samples, we construct powerful and reliable predictive models that can profile an individual's future genetic risks and predispositions across over eight hundred types of phenotypes. Our business spans three major areas: healthcare for humans (G2H), genetics for pets (G2H+Pet), and agricultural breeding (Genomics-for-Breeding, G4B). We primarily operate under a B2B2C model, aiming to serve 2B entities within the global pan-genomics industries that possess and manage extensive personal genetics data. The greater Chinese area serves as our primary target market.
Technology
In the realm of G2H, our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) integrates a semi-automated data processing workflow, a cloud-based backend, big data analytics based on sophisticated biostatistical models, a user-friendly front-end UI, and an automated report generation system. This G2H beta version is designed to cater to various institutional stakeholders, including genetic testing companies, human genetics labs, and insurance companies. We are dedicated to refining the G2H beta, tackling intricate technical challenges such as trans-ethnic Polygenic Scoring (PGS) issues, trans-genotyping platform imputation issues, and data encryption concerns, in preparation for the launch of G2H versions 1.0 and 2.0.
Recognizing the extensive applications of Polygenic Scoring beyond human health and identifying a market with fewer competitors and restrictions, we have allocated additional resources to G4B and G2H+Pet. G4B combines Polygenic Scoring with traditional GBLUP models in genomic selection, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy of predicting traits like rice crop yield, crucial for selecting superior offspring in breeding programs. On the other hand, G2H+Pet focuses on identifying genetic defects and predicting hereditary diseases in pets, particularly dogs and cats.
