New | US genetics start-up Color brings affordable cancer-risk testing to Hong Kong
US-based start-up Color has made its US$249 genetic test available in Hong Kong to help users identify increased cancer risk as the company looks to revolutionise the multimillion dollar genetics testing market in the Asia Pacific region.
Genetic testing allows users to know if they carry certain genetic mutations or markers putting them at higher risks of certain diseases, such as cancer. The predictive genetics testing market in Asia Pacific is estimated to be worth about US$223 million in 2016, according to market research firm Mordor Intelligence.
However, the cost of genetic testing still remains high, which makes testing for the broader population and in the public health sector impractical, according to Color co-founder Othman Laraki.
“Even though the cost of genetic testing has been going down every year, the cost of tests to people and the medical system has remained at about US$4000.” said Laraki, whose Color test is only a fraction of the cost of current genetics tests on the market.
The Color test kit, which requires users to send a saliva sample back to the company, analyses 30 genes that is linked to increased risk of diseases such as breast and prostate cancer. The company claims it performed a blinded study, detecting genetic variants of over 500 samples with 99.9 per cent accuracy.
Professor Sham Pak Chung, director for the Centre of Genomic Sciences for the University of Hong Kong said that despite the increasing evidence that certain gene mutations put individuals at a higher risk for cancer, many genetic tests are only available privately. However, the lowered cost of genetic testing will likely lead to the inclusion of genetic testing in the public health sector.
“Hong Kong is ... catching up, with plans to make genetic testing more available in the public health sector, but it takes time to come into practice,” he added. “It is a matter of having tests which are both high quality and cost-effective.”