Making Gattaca a Reality

The 1997 movie Gattaca portrayed a society where children were born through genetic manipulation to make sure they owned the most desirable attributes of their progenitors. Roughly two decades after the film has been created; this idea might not be too far. Healthcare Executive asks Anu Acharya, CEO of Map My Genome about the new possibilities unlocked by advances in gene testing for the Indian healthcare sector.

Disruptive technology is something that will be distinct from what has been done in the past. And it aptly describes the difference genomic testing will make to the Indian healthcare sector. A few years ago, it was all science fiction, but today it's a reality. A person can figure out today what can occur in his/her body part, years ahead of the onset of a disease. And Map My Genome is one of the companies which has tapped on the opportunity for enterprises given by technological strides in gene testing.

Finding her calling

Born in Bikaner Rajasthan, the CEO of the bioinformatics startup, Anu Acharya says that she always wanted to do "something significant for her country". She found herself in IIT Kharagpur following her father's tracks but soon decided that entrepreneurship was her real strength.

Starting out

Even though she dabbled with different ideas, she took the entrepreneurial plunge with Ocimum Biosolutions."I thought it would be good to do something in an untouched territory. That was the time when the Human Genome Project was getting completed. There were not many players in the field. Even Google was not there," she recalls.

Acharya's expertise in genomic research made her realise that technology could be a game-changer in the sector. "We did three acquisitions at Ocimum Biosolutions. But it was more in the B2B space, where the company built databases for laboratories and launched products and services via the proprietary platform called Raas (Research as a service). By 2010, we realised that most of the data was coming from the western population. We thought that we could do something like this in India for consumers because they get access to advanced technology much later. Using genomics, we want to give consumers or patients the power of knowledge for prevention or early detection."

The most comprehensive offering of the company is Genomepatri which predicts genetic risks for 100+ diseases, traits, drug responses, inherited conditions and carrier status. Since its inception in 2013, the company has processed thousands of samples, and the plan is to help many more people, says Acharya.

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Gene Business

Currently, the company has investors like Ratan Tata and Google's Rajan Anandan."But in the beginning, none understood genomic testing and associated it with more paternal testing or testing for specific genetic disorders like Thalassemia. Companies in the US raised a hundred times more capital than they do. So, companies like us had to figure out new ways to do things in the healthcare non-hospital space. If you want to build any product in healthcare, you need the blessing of the healthcare ecosystem," explains Acharya.

How does she factor in outside opinion? Does she lookout for specific patterns? What were the key lessons from being an entrepreneur at a time, when even Google was not there? She admits that one of the biggest hurdles is to have access to capital when you want to build something new. "Second is to create something of value, and something people want to talk about in the sector. Many hospitals have tied up with us today and made us part of our routine health checkups, and that's a significant achievement for us," reveals Acharya.

Customer-first Company

For several years the power of genetic analysis was available only to the rich or the bigwig scientists. No one understands this fact better than Acharya. "Genome testing is a relatively new technology. The cost of the human genome project was $2.7 billion. In 2011, Steve Jobs spent $100,000 for sequencing of his genome. Today, one of our ancestry tests costs Rs 3999."

The global Genomics Market was valued at USD 13.2 billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 30.59 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 9.78% from 2017 to 2025. According to Acharya, the cost of doing the test is going higher in the US and coming down in India. The current price of doing a test similar to GenomePatri is $500 in the US.

Next on the Cards

Map My Genome has signed MoUs with almost 40 hospitals. But would someone be able to extract information from their DNA sitting at the comfort of their house using DNA kits?

She also points out that over the counter tests will also be available soon in India and her company has plans to launch such kits. "We did try out in pharmacies earlier. But we realised it was not the right time. However, in the next year, it might make more sense. Currently, it's available in the US at Target or Walgreens. We are also trying to set up teams in hospitals so that people can do it as part of their preventive health checkup packages. The tests are also available on online platforms like Amazon and 1mg too. Eventually, the plan is to set up standalone centres, where people can walk in and get it done."

Risks of diving into the Gene Pool

Currently, insurance tests companies do have access to customer data. However, in countries like the US, a company cannot discriminate an employee based on healthcare data. And that's true even in India. There is a law called the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act in the US. Most companies do have a system where healthcare data is disconnected from the personal information of the person. "One needs to look at whether the data is used for making healthcare better or whether it's used for targetting somebody. We have created a blockchain-based solution. It separates genetic details from personal identity completely," replies Acharya.

Is the government doing enough to promote the growth of the sector? The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has begun a grand scheme, IndiGen, to sequence whole genomes of the Indian society to create public health technology applications. "It is a good start. But it's a little late because our scientists didn't have access to funds. However, I am glad that it started," notes Acharya.

Power of Information will make Health Systems Better

Genomics plays a significant role in designing better policies, better nutrition plans, insurance cover, or making medicine more precise. "Individual has access to information so that they can take more actionable steps and make doctors or healthcare system accountable. Consumer pays for healthcare in India. If we can empower the consumer, we can make the rest of the healthcare system more accountable," she adds.

Healthcare of the Future

According to Acharya, in the future, there's a possibility that your health data will be on your phone and you can decide who do you want to share the data with. "Currently, some companies have scanners, that can tell you what food is right for you, based on your genes and lifestyle. Technology will be much better than where we are today," she adds.

There are critics as well as early adopters for genomic testing. And Acharya says that even though there is no cure for certain conditions, awareness about your genetic predisposition, help you plan your life better.