If there is one technological innovation that has profoundly impacted our lives, it is Artificial Intelligence (AI). One of the biggest contributors to the economy across the globe, AI is used in healthcare, agriculture, education, banking. The innovation improves the precision of forecasting and makes responses more effective, even for simple things that are part of your daily life – whether a certain mail will go into your inbox or spam box, or whether the Cortana in your laptop can understand your need is governed by AI. AI can also deeply influence healthcare and become one of its most dependant lieutenants – its continuous growth only bolsters the position. In fact, a Frost & Sullivan report states that globally, AI systems will generate $6.7 billion in revenue from healthcare by 2021.
A computing giant that can enhance output
Ever since the first human genome was decoded, it has gained rapid traction – so much so that estimates tell that the breakneck speed can surpass human capability. By 2025, between 100 million and 2 billion human genomes could be sequenced and the computational power required will be far more than those of running channels on scores of YouTube channel with multimillion followers. AI systems are therefore making their way to the lab to make sense of the increasing trove of genomic data; after all, AI is unparalleled when it comes to performing repetitive tasks. Hence, it can prove crucial by making computing more agile to pave the way for researchers to interpret the data and bring out meaningful insights.
As a pioneering platform in India, The Gene Box (TGB) has leveraged this extraordinary tool by creating an AI-powered algorithm that can scan more data points. The reports from partner labs come to the research team where they match the findings with the research reports, published in journals with high impact factor and other reputed publications from all over the world. The exercise uses the algorithm which is built on the AIbased selection of research papers and is instrumental to correlate the findings and generating insights. While genetic reports are usually prepared scanning about 2,500 data points, the proprietary algorithm developed in-house scans an astonishing 7 lakh data points, a leap of 28,000 times. Understandably, it helps in developing more meaningful and credible insights minus the judgement and possibility of a human error.
AI may help standardise data
When researchers sequence and analyse DNA with the help of AI systems, it makes the process of gaining perspective on the particular genetic blueprint faster and more accurate. This insight can help them take decisions about care, susceptibility and mutations that might cause diseases – to make that individual future-ready. However, few people can access and use the genetic information as standardisation is yet to be attained. Besides, despite a buoyant scientific community, genome analytics is yet to make headway to bring substantial benefit businesses, primarily due to lack of awareness about how genomics work and its potential to add value to the niche products of an industry. Industries that can directly benefit from genomics include pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, insurance, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), and many more, not only in India but globally. Having standard, comprehensive Pranav Anam, Founder, The Gene Box genetic information of a population will also open the fields of precision medicine. Eventually, this will enable us to dive into social genomics to get a broader understanding and improve interventions for disease control and overall wellbeing.
Using AI to create datasets pertaining to genome sequencing is the stepping stone of a larger goal to create an acceptance of the reports among people. As the world celebrates the 30th anniversary of the launch of Human Genome Project (HGP), India has only stepped into the realm and moving ahead rationally will address many of its concerns.
About The Gene Box (TGB)
The Gene Box, a start-up, is an AIpowered platform that offers genomic solutions for preventive healthcare. It is committed to empower healthcare providers and researchers with state-of-the- art genomics innovation. The Gene Box collaborates with nutritionists, fitness experts, and healthcare providers to enable interventions through genomic reports. In this, the end consumer’s DNA is translated into meaningful insights. TGB is working with consumer genomics companies in South-East Asia and South America that employ TGB’s proprietary data-to-reports platform to generate reports for their customers. TGB’s in-house team of researchers and data scientists and AI-powered research tools delivers the best in industry analytics. Digitised recommendations incorporating genomic predispositions are revolutionising personalised healthcare interventions.
Pranav Anam,
Founder, The Gene Box
