The Founders Developing New Diagnosis Methods And Innovative Healthcare Devices
From diagnosing Parkinson’s to synthetic biology, this year’s Healthcare and Science listees are putting scientific research into practice.
Zhang Zhiqian is betting on synthetic biology as one answer to a more sustainable future, and investors including IDG Capital and Zhen Fund have so far put nearly $100 million into his company, Tidetron Bioworks.
The 29-year-old is one of the 30 Under 30 Asia entrepreneurs who made the Healthcare & Science category this year, for their innovations in sectors including biotech and healthtech.
Founded in 2021, Zhang’s Guangzhou-based startup manufactures and sells over 30 raw materials, including peptides, used in the production of food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, among others. At its 2,000-square-meter R&D center, Tidetron modifies microbes to create a range of chemical substances, such as the acids used for additives to improve the taste and appearance of food. (In one customized solution, Tidetron tweaked an essential fungi microorganism needed to ferment soybeans for soy sauce to help a customer boost the product’s flavor.)
It’s an eco-friendly alternative, Zhang says, to traditional production methods, which involve a chain of chemical reactions that produce waste and greenhouse gases. “Changing the microbes can make them produce more materials beneficial to us, and this is something traditional methods can’t achieve,” Zhang says by phone.
Zhang became interested in biology at a microscopic level while studying for a Ph.D. in medicine at China’s Sun Yat-sen University. He set up his own lab outside school to study microbes used in industrial manufacturing and built a database detailing their properties. After meeting almost three dozen investors, Zhang convinced Beijing-based Unity Ventures to be the first to fund his business idea, who were later joined by Chinese VCs IDG Capital and Zhen Fund. He says clients from the food industry are today the company’s largest source of revenue.
Also from China, Yang Yuzhe’s research focuses on the application of AI and machine learning technologies in monitoring and diagnosing diseases. In a paper published in Nature Medicine journal in 2022, Yang, a Ph.D. candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, examined how to diagnose Parkinson’s disease by tracking and analyzing breathing patterns during sleep, which can potentially enable earlier diagnosis as most Parkinson’s symptoms — such as slowness and stiffness — only occur several years later.
His compatriot Song Yu, who is an incoming assistant professor at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), has developed a skin sensor that can detect and monitor the presence of C-reactive protein in sweat to potentially help eliminate the need for patients to take multiple blood tests for this biomarker usually associated with inflammation.
In Japan, Haruka Sasaki’s ground-breaking research has shown that high concentrations of melatonin in the body can exacerbate asthma symptoms. Researching it after a life-threatening asthma attack triggered a deep interest the disease, she has won numerous accolades, including a L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Japan Encouragement Award in 2022.
Innovative devices
Others who made this year’s 30 Under 30 Asia: Healthcare & Science list are creating new and healthcare devices to monitor symptoms and, in some cases, treat diseases.
In Australia, Australis Scientific cofounder Helena Franco is working on a new device to treat urinary incontinence. Now undergoing clinical trial, the product known as In-Confidence is a connected patch that can be attached above the ankle. It uses electric pulses to stimulate and train nerves responsible for controlling the bladder.
Meanwhile in India, Aryan Chauhan seeks to help treat diabetes with a self-developed sensor. The product can be attached to the skin to monitor blood sugar levels. Results are read via Zivov’s smartphone app and inform users how their body is responding to different diets and treatments. Zivov has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from investors including Reddy Ventures and Titan Capital.
Building online platforms
With the goal of helping patients get treatment conveniently, some entrepreneurs on this year’s list have set up online platforms that connect users with healthcare professionals in India. Cofounded by Anmol Arora and Vikram Patel, India’s DocVita is a mental healthcare startup that allows patients to book consulting sessions online with therapists and psychiatrists. The Bangalore-based company arranges meetings either via channels such as Google Meet and Zoom, or in-person at a designated location.
Also in India, Shobhita Narain cofounded Veera Health specifically for patients diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The 29-year-old’s own frustration with getting treatment for the disease led her to set up Veera Health in 2021. The company’s app helps connect patients with gynaecologists for assessment and consultation and to talk to nutritionists to develop a healthier diet. In 2021, Veera Health raised $3 million in funding from investors including Sequoia India Capital’s Surge and Global Founders Capital.
Check out our complete 2024 30 Under 30 Asia: Healthcare & Science list here, and the full 2024 30 Under 30 Asia coverage, click here.
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