November 2017 IPA

14 APAC / November 2017 , 1701AP20 Developing Excellence GemVCare Limited is the first Hong Kong based genetic testing company specialized in diabetes. The company provides testing services and healthmanagement programs for diabetic patients, as well as people who are at risk of diabetes to keep themaway from diabetes and its complications. The company was founded in 2014 by local academics, medical doctors specialized in diabetes and scientists, supported by the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU) through the Hong Kong Government Innovation and Technology Committee and is also a member company of the Incu-Bio Programme of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. Mission and vision: Here at GemVCare Limited, our mission is to use our Gemomic® Technology (which combines biomedical and information technology), to predict and prevent diabetes and offer personalized care to those with or at risk of diabetes. We have developed solutions to help healthy and diabetic patients manage their health properly by first screening their individual risk, then classifying them into different groups for personalized care. At GemVCare, we understand diabetes is a chronic disease that needs long term care and management, therefore personalized care is the key to treatment and prevention by providing the best disease management to people of different risk levels. Apart from medical consultation and constant medication, we believe self-monitoring and education are also important to motivate people to comply to their treatment or care plans. GemVCare partners with a network of health care professionals who use the personal information result to empower the subjects to manage and reduce their health risks through lifestyle changes, early use of drugs and by proactively seeking personalized treatment. Disease background: It is estimated that 10% of the global population are suffering from diabetes, and the population of diabetic patients is predicted to soar from 415 million in 2016 to 592 million in year of 2035. Diabetes and its complications could be devastating and fatal. Every six seconds, a person dies from diabetes. Although life threatening, not many people realise the symptoms and risk of diabetes. There are approximately 50% of people with prediabetes, who do not show clear symptoms. One of the warning signs for prediabetes is having blood glucose concentration above normal, but also below the diabetes threshold. This warning sign is important as there is a high possibility that if these people remain untreated, they will develop diabetes soon. Due to its silent nature, diabetic patients are often diagnosed and treated at a delayed stage, with 30% of affected subjects notice their situation only when serious complications and critical illness such as stroke, heart disease and kidney failure arise. Most of us always have a common misconception about conventional blood test, many diabetic cases were only discovered at late stage where preventions could have done before that. Conventional blood test can only detect abnormal blood glucose level which means, you are already have diabetes and your body organs begin to malfunction when you discover an abnormal blood glucose level. There are ways to prevent diabetes and its complications before everything gets worse. Conventional blood test does not serve this function. Our tests and services: Since conventional blood glucose tests cannot solely prevent you from getting diabetes or complications, GemVCare developed genetic tests that can predict your risk. By knowing your genes, environmental and non-modifiable factors, we are able to calculate your risk of getting diabetes or its complication using a patented algorithm.