Viva la health revolutión!

I have to confess something. I am a huge fan of Anne Wojcicki. Not only she is brilliant, but she also co-founded 23andMe, one of the most promising startup (according to… me! Yep, I make rankings). The fact that two women started a company to empower individuals in regards to their body, health and DNA information is both inspiring and not really surprising. Could we really continue like that?

What’s the story?

23andMe “provides genetic testing and interpretation to individual consumers”. Great. Who cares?! Actually… everybody should care!

First, because the historic application, the ancestry test, gives you valuable information about your origins: “your DNA can tell you where your ancestors lived more than 500 years ago. See a percentage breakdown by region, including eastern Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and more”. This would be enlightening to some people who believe in any kind of superiority. It would also educate about human migrations. Two hugely important and unfortunately, still current subjects.

Second, and most importantly, because your body/health is your most personal and valuable asset. You can be the wealthiest human on earth, if you have Alzheimer, you won’t remember. You can be the smartest person in the galaxy, if you are sick you can’t get things done. And there is one thing that really strikes me about that: if you want to do any type of check-ups (blood test or else) you need a prescription from a doctor. Do you ask permission to your broker before looking at Apple’s financials if you are considering investing in the stock? That would be ridiculous. By the way, I give you permission to read this quick take on Apple.

Huge potential

Okay, so the ancestry mapping is a nice to have, but it is not a painkiller product. No, what is magical is the other reports, where you can “learn how your genetics can influence your risk for certain diseases”, or to “find out if you are a carrier for certain inherited conditions” and so much more (wellness reports including deep Sleep, genetic weight etc). Now we are talking about important, actionable intelligence that can make a real difference.

Huge savings

Prevention is always better than the treatment. Imagine how much we would save in healthcare if everybody was in fairly good health. “When we invest in prevention, the benefits are broadly shared”, says the CDC. Another study found that preventive healthcare can potentially save 2 million lives and nearly $4 billion annually (not factoring the effect on the economy). Yes please!

Knowledge is power

It keeps getting better. Not only you will be able to know more about yourself and take action, but scientists will also have much more data to work with. This is where the value builds up. Better data leads to better research, which leads to discoveries and breakthroughs. Imagine a cure for cystic fibrosis or Parkinson.

The wearable revolution

And we can bundle data from a bunch of different sources. We are already used to the idea thanks to smart scales and other mainstream fitness wearables (Fitbit, Apple Watch etc.). It has been around for some time now, but we’ve only scratched the surface. Because the truth is that right now, the industry is facing two important challenges: 1/ finding the right combination between the hardware (mass produced, very little differentiation, durable) and fashion (all about personal expression, fast obsolescence); and 2/ finding the killer application.

In need of a platform

Progress in sensors, miniaturization and computing power is going to solve the first problem. We won’t care about the hardware anymore because it will be almost invisible. Last year, I bought an OM Signal shirt. Athos has also some interesting products. But the future looks much more like Google Contact Lens.

The second problem will be solved by the rise of a platform/operating system. You need a platform to aggregate all the information and provide a smooth, enjoyable user experience. Apple is well suited for that job and, last I’ve heard, is working on it. They have the talent to provide a well designed experience and a certain power among the developing community. The ability to build applications is key to redefine the different relationships (doctor/patients, patients/insurers etc).

Getting really excited

If you combine all those new technologies (bio and medtech, wearables, sensors, artificial intelligence), we will have the perfect tools to finally be in control of our health. This is a revolution that will not only shake the healthcare industry (from act based to service based), but also society as a whole. For the better!

Fitness is definitely a great market to experiment. Last year, I did a fitcode assessment from Orig3n (how fit are your genes?). Skulpt provides “a deeper understanding of your physical strengths and weaknesses, along with workout and nutritional guidance based on your unique physiology and goals.” Moov uses artificial intelligence and sensors to create your personal virtual coach. Vi uses another approach.

Imagine the value of having customized recommendation based on your specific body/health. But instead of “just” a trainer, you are also carrying a geneticist, a doctor, a psychologist, a dietitian…