Nalagenetics

About Nalagenetics

Nalagenetics operates as a biotechnology firm, providing a personalized prescription platform to enhance medical treatment efficacy and safety through genetic testing. Founded in 2016 by Levana Sani, Dr. Astrid Irwanto, Dr. Jianjun Liu, and Dr. Alexander Lezhava, the Singapore-based company was born out of research at the Genome Institute of Singapore. The founders were driven by the discovery of a genetic biomarker that could predict fatal adverse reactions to a leprosy drug, a project they successfully deployed in Papua, Indonesia, in partnership with the Indonesian government. This initial success, which found that 20% of patients tested carried the risk gene, underscored the need for genetic testing tailored to diverse populations.

The company's business model is primarily B2B2C, partnering with hospitals, laboratories, insurers, and corporate clients across Asia and Europe. Nalagenetics does not market directly to consumers, ensuring that tests are administered through healthcare providers to maintain quality and accuracy. Revenue is generated through contracts with these institutions. The company has secured a total of $13.6 million in funding over two rounds, including a $1 million seed round in 2018 and a $12.6 million Series A round in 2022, with investors like East Ventures, Intudo Ventures, and Vulcan Capital.

Nalagenetics offers a suite of genetic testing products, including RxReady™, NutriReady™, LifeReady™, and MammoReady™, which analyze how an individual's DNA affects their response to medications (pharmacogenomics) and nutrients (nutrigenomics), as well as their risk for inherited conditions like breast cancer. The platform provides an end-to-end service that includes wet-lab protocols, bioinformatics algorithms, and a Clinical Decision Support (CDS) system for physicians. This system assists doctors with clinical recommendations, while a patient-facing app allows users to access their results, track medication side effects, and receive support from health professionals. The company emphasizes its focus on the genetic diversity of Southeast Asian populations, aiming to provide more relevant and accurate results with 99% accuracy.

The founding team combines deep scientific expertise with business acumen. CEO Levana Sani holds a Bachelor's in Biochemistry from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021. COO Dr. Astrid Irwanto holds a PhD and was a scientist at the Genome Institute of Singapore. Their work has been recognized with awards such as 1st place in the Healthcare category at the G20 Innovation League and at a TechCrunch Pitch-Off competition. Nalagenetics is also a key partner in Singapore's SG100K research initiative to map the genomes of 100,000 Singaporeans.