Thought Leaders in Healthcare IT: Sequencing.com CEO Brandon Colby (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: Is there any other category that we should discuss in a bit more detail?

Brandon Colby: The third use case deals with bioinformatics companies. Even though there is test data that is being generated by 23andme and Ancestry, the format of the data is unique per company. It gets very complex in terms of dealing with the bioinformatics of making one company’s test data compatible with another. That is something that we specialize in.

In addition to providing access to consumers, we standardize genetic data. Irrespective of the source, the data that we feed are always standardized. That means that it takes a lot of work on our part. It also means that they don’t have to invest themselves in bioinformatics services.

Every single time a 23andme comes out with a new type of test, we handle that integration. They don’t have to spend any time on it. Within a couple of days, our system and their DNA analysis is fully compatible. There’s this universal compatibility which provides tremendous value to the bioinformatics companies that we work with.

Sramana Mitra: How do you find these developers? It sounds like there’s all these early-stage companies and researchers who are developing on your platform.

Brandon Colby: Usually, they find us. We are not only the world’s largest marketplace but also there are very limited places on the net now where a person can find DNA analysis solutions. They usually reach out to us either while they’re developing or after they’ve developed. That’s the primary way.

We also constantly read the media outlets that cover the genomics industry. We see what people are working on. We do outreach that way. LinkedIn is our friend. There are many ways to go and make sure that we are visible to even the earlier stage companies.

Sramana Mitra: This is a really cool company. It’s a wonderful story. If you look at what your technology is capable of doing and if you look at your app marketplace, what are the gaps?

If you were to tell the world out there, what kind of app developers are you looking for? What kind of apps should be developed on your platform?

Brandon Colby: We are at V2 of the reports. V1 was when the DNA analysis would provide information on a single trait or a single-disease risk. You will learn that you are at increased risk of breast cancer.

In V2, there are more integrated reports. You may find out that you have increased risk of breast cancer. That also includes an analysis of some of the genetically-tailored treatments that may help. The same thing applies for nutrition.

Right now, we are at V2. What I see in the future is evolving this user experience to V3, which is the ongoing interaction of a person with their DNA data so that instead of basing the results on a report, it’s more of an integration into the person’s daily life.

We are developing an API. It’s called Real-Time Personalization. It’s around enabling this concept so that app developers can move away from thinking about a static report and move more towards daily interaction that the person may be able to benefit from if there was some input from their DNA.

It’s a type of automated daily personalization. Let’s say you walk into a restaurant and you have an app on your phone that provides information about nutrition. That app will be able to access your DNA, and be able to see that you are sensitive to certain foods. It’ll alert you on what menu items in that restaurant are the ones that you should focus on and which ones you should likely avoid.

It’s that type of real-time interaction. It’s where the true value and the true mass market integration meet. People don’t even have to think about DNA. Instead, it’s always in the background working to personalize.  

Sramana Mitra: Very cool. I love it. Thank you for your time.

This segment is part 4 in the series : Thought Leaders in Healthcare IT: Sequencing.com CEO Brandon Colby
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