Asa Ren, a Jakarta-based digital biobank founded in 2016, uses AI-powered analytics, data science, and machine learning to make health care decisions. The company, which works with 31 clinics and eight hospitals, claims to be the first clinicogenomics platform in Southeast Asia to use DNA testing to help patients with holistic health care. It provides DNA testing kits that can be bought at several drugstores.
With this technology, the company’s CEO, Aloysius Liang, dreams of building a new DNA data-based health care system in Indonesia.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What made you build Asa Ren?
Seven years ago, my mom was diagnosed with stage-four thyroid cancer and she was hit by a very bad stroke. All the doctors had the same answer: She only had six more months to live. I had to discover a solution, and a solution that I came across was DNA testing, pharmacogenomics, and precision medicine. Fast forward to today, she is still around.
Our previous medical treatment is fractured. It is not as efficient as it is supposed to be. So, this is an opportunity for Asa Ren to create a third wave of health care.
What do you mean by the third wave of health care?
We are pushing for preventive treatment. We are pushing for us to have our own data. We want patients to understand their own data. Health care is data-reliant. Once we had data about Covid-19, we as a society solved for the virus. Now, how can we as a society solve [health care problems that come with the progression of] life if we don’t have a data set for ourselves?
We want to transition Indonesia into the biotech hub of Southeast Asia, and that will start from Jakarta.
Why does Indonesia need DNA-based health data?
Most of the drugs that are on the market are created using white people’s genomes. We, as Asians, of course, have huge differences from white people genomics. If most of the drugs are created based on white people’s genomes, how can we fully absorb or even benefit from all disruptions? And that is why we Asians are required to have our special type of treatment or drugs.
Our users’ data is also protected and anonymous, so there is no threat of leaks. Our data sets are not linked to any other third party as all our processes need to be done in-house.
Source: restofworld.org
