Singaporean health tech startup Mesh Bio and UK-based drug discovery firm MultiOmic Health have begun collaborating to create a massive multi-omics dataset that will provide insights into metabolic syndrome-related conditions in Asians.
WHY IS
According to a press release, Mesh Bio will use its network of healthcare providers to recruit participants for its study, specifically patients with chronic metabolic diseases and an increased risk of complications, such as: B. chronic kidney disease.
For its part, MultiOmic will generate genomic, proteomic, metabolomic and other omics data from anonymized body fluid samples. This omics data is then combined with de-identified data from clinical and diagnostic tests to build a rich multi-omics dataset and acquire AI-based computational biological models.
The organizations will also conduct joint projects to improve patient stratification for the clinical-stage R&D programs of other biopharmaceutical and medical device companies.
WHY IT MATTERS
The large multi-omics dataset they are building will enable the companies to advance their respective R&D programs to develop precise therapeutic and diagnostic products for patients with metabolic syndrome-related diseases.
“Longitudinal multi-omics data combined with comprehensive clinical phenotyping are essential for the development of transformative therapeutics and diagnostics in chronic multifactorial diseases,” said Angeli Moeller, vice chair and co-founder of the global advocacy group Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.
Möller also said the study will help generate “new and much-needed insights specific to populations in Asia” that have been underrepresented in historical research on metabolic diseases.
Before the pandemic, metabolic diseases, which include type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, were responsible for half of the world’s deaths and nearly $2 trillion in global healthcare spending, MultiOmic estimates.
During the pandemic, patients with metabolic syndrome account for a “significant” portion of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths, according to a study published in the medical journal Diabetes Care. Recent studies have also shown that COVID-19 survivors are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
THE BIGGER TREND
The gut microbiome company from Singapore AMILI is another organization aiming to fill the gap in gut health research representative of the Asian population. The company is building a large, multi-ethnic repository of microbiome data and samples from Asia that will assist academic institutions and biotech companies in identifying new biomarkers for the formulation of gut health products. Earlier this month, AMILI raised $10.5 million in Series A funding that will support its continued expansion across Asia.
In other news, metabolic health-focused fitness app HealthifyMe recently developed a new offering that combines health tracking and smart diagnostics. HealthifyPro is a fitness plan equipped with a biosensing system, including a continuous glucose monitor; a connected Smart Scale metabolic panel; and support from in-house fitness trainers and AI assistant Ria.
