Can you decipher your "life and health code" for a few dozen yuan? Consumer-grade genetic testing and cancer screening, which are standing in the air, have become the sweet pastry in the eyes of capital.

In recent years, with the continuous development of genetic testing technology and the continuous improvement of consumers' awareness of health care, from "punk health care" to targeted supplements, to decoding "genetic information of life", people have begun to pay more attention to and pay attention to their own health. State of health.

▎What is genetic testing?

Genetic testing is a technology that detects DNA through blood, other body fluids, or cells. It is a method of detecting and analyzing the gene type and gene defects it contains and whether its expression function is normal, so that people can understand their own genetic information, clarify the cause or predict the risk of a certain disease in the body.

Genetic testing can diagnose disease and can also be used to predict disease risk.

Disease diagnosis is the use of genetic testing techniques to detect mutated genes that cause inherited diseases. The most widely used genetic testing is the detection of neonatal hereditary diseases, the diagnosis of genetic diseases and the auxiliary diagnosis of some common diseases.

▎The first generation of products has entered the market to promote the improvement of detection efficiency

The genetic testing industry generally consists of five major links, including the collection of life digital information, data production, analysis, interpretation, and transformation and application. Based on big data, precision medicine and full life cycle management of large-scale populations can be realized.

Data analysis is the use of bioinformatics analysis to process and analyze off-board data, involving infrastructure such as data storage, computing, and management, as well as software, algorithms, and new digital technologies required for analysis.

The enterprises that lay out data analysis mainly focus on three types of businesses: bioinformatics software development, genetic big data platform solutions, and genetic big data value-added services. In terms of software, most of the domestic software is non-small cell lung cancer mutation gene software. The approved companies include BGI, Geinga, Burning Stone and Shihe Medical.

Data interpretation is to combine genetic test results with clinical phenotypes to mine the relationship between genes and diseases, so as to conduct basic research and guide clinical decision-making. Clinically, Zhiyin Oriental has created a clinical analysis algorithm based on the three-element analysis principle of "biology + genetics + clinical", which improves the efficiency of clinical diagnosis.

▎A new "air outlet" where opportunities and challenges coexist

The gene industry is recognized as an emerging leading industry after IT.

The domestic consumer-grade genetic testing market was established around 2013. According to Frost & Sullivan, the consumer-grade genetic testing service market in China will reach US$68.5 million in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 31.0 from 2016 to 2020 %. It is expected to reach a scale of $445 million by 2025.

In addition to the continuous expansion of the industry scale, since "Healthy China 2030" has become a national strategy, by 2030, my country's average life expectancy will reach 79 years, and the overall 5-year survival rate of cancer will increase by 15%. Combining principles, strengthen the screening of chronic diseases and the early detection of malignant diseases.

It can be said that consumer-grade genetic testing and cancer screening, as a scientific and effective way to predict diseases, have stood at the "new outlet" of the health industry track.

But since it is a new outlet, for players on this track, it can be said that opportunities and challenges coexist.

In addition to exploring mature business models and promoting the promotion of genetic testing technology, it is more important to bring this technology to every ordinary person in a more cost-effective way. However, from the perspective of the penetration rate of consumer groups, the genetic testing market is still a "blue ocean" that has not yet erupted.

In the United States, the penetration rate of consumer-grade genetic testing has reached 8.8%, and the penetration rate of colorectal cancer screening has reached 60.1%.

In 2020, the cumulative number of consumers of consumer-grade genetic testing services in China was 12.1 million, and the penetration rate was only 0.8%. It is estimated that in 2025, the number of consumer users will reach 43.7 million, and the penetration rate will reach 12.7%.

It is foreseeable that, as a "potential stock" in the future health track, with the continuous reduction of the cost of genetic testing, this technology will have wider application scenarios in the fields of genetic disease detection, tumors, and chronic diseases. Coupled with the promotion of a series of policies to support and promote the development of the health industry, the genetic testing industry has become a new blue ocean for investment .