A Vietnamese man with high passion for AI (artificial intelligence) has left Google to start up a business with an aim to understand the genetic map of Vietnamese.
With Gene Friend Way, people provide saliva and wait four weeks to know what they need to eat or what kind of disease they may have in the future, especially serious diseases such as diabetes or cancer.
Before becoming a co-founder and CEO of Gene Friend Way, Cao Anh Tuan obtained a doctorate in computing science from Cornell University. Three years later, Tuan joined Google’s staff and worked in the AI division.
However, the expert in Big Data and AI decided to start up a business in the healthcare sector, though he did not have knowledge in medicine and gene research.
With the support of his wife, a PhD in biomedicine and cooperation with three healthcare experts from prestigious schools in the US, Tuan decided to leave Google to pursue his dream.
The world’s genomic analysis has gained impressive achievements, able to decipher genetic information. Scientists have found that human pathogens are not only created by external influences, but also derived from genetic information left in each person’s DNA code.
What Tuan and his colleagues want is to discover where that difference comes from
At first, Tuan’s research team focused on cancer. But later, Gene Friend Way expanded its services.
Decoding Vietnamese genes
Gene analysis technology has been used for a long time in developed countries. However, according to Tuan, studies are mostly based on gene samples of white people. The gene structure of different human races is different.
In Hong Kong, a company provides gene testing and analysis. However, according to Tuan, the company mostly uses results of the research on whites and focuses on marketing.
For Tuan and his co-workers, technology is the key factor. To date, the number of genes which have relations to human identities that scientists have found is 10 times higher than the number announced three years ago.
Gene Friend Way’s founder said he is striving to use the latest research findings.
In Vietnam, doctor Tran Van Khanh is also famous for her research on genetic diseases. Her research helps detect people who carry the ‘bad genes’ and help young parents avoid high-risk pregnancies. About 1,000 patients in Vietnam and their family members have benefited from her genetic therapy.
According to a report on Vietnamnet