Take a deep dive into your own biology with UK company FitnessGenes and its DNA hard science could lead you to the best lifestyle choices to delay or prevent disease.
“Your genetics is not your destiny for the majority of chronic illnesses, merely a guideline to what conditions you may be at risk from and what action you can take,” advise co-founders and doctors Samantha Decombel and Stuart Grice who are now embarking on expansion with a new business portal and further investment raise.
For individuals there is FitnessGene’s own patented system with the latest DNA sequencing technology able check for more than 800,000 genetic variants.
After sending in a one-off saliva test, customers receive follow-up interpretations and guidance with lifetime access to the services.So far these have built bespoke blueprints for 55,000 clients worldwide where the numbers of men and women are equally balanced.
Through the test FitnessGenes pinpoints fundamental factors such as food choices, activity, hormone health and sleep, that affect people’s health and susceptibility to disease.
With end-to-end encryption ensuring data security, it’s a unique matchmaking service that “provides customers with precise insights and guidance defining interventions that include recommendations of products and services which we vet for quality, service and ethical value,” says Decombel who is the company’s chief executive while Grice is its head scientific officer.
“Our service is focused on healthy living,” she explains. “There is so much information out there for people it can be very confusing and time consuming. However there has been more acceptance of health-based tests since the pandemic Our pivot during the pandemic into testing ensured the survival of FitnessGenes and also gave us space to work out how to build products. Our scientific credibility is one of our greatest assets.
“The marketplace we are in however is very fragmented. We don’t diagnose but identify pre-disposition and our holistic approach creates more cohesion. We extract the accurate specifics. For example if two males show a propensity for low testosterone and share the same genetic variant, we drill down to identify the individual risks depending on what stage of life they are at.
“Another could be linked to habit, for instance particular susceptibility to the toxins in petrol. When someone fills up their car the advice is to use gloves to add extra protection.”
After just over a decade and now a leader in the preventative healthcare space, the company, based in London and Oxfordshire, is forecasting a £1.7 million turnover for next year as it expands its offering with a new commercial portal FitnessGenes Pro.
This is for healthcare practitioners from personal trainers to nutritionists and clinicians so they can bring genomics (the study of all of a person’s genes) into their practices and provide bespoke reports for customers who also get the chance to consult healthcare professionals.
For FitnessGenes it generates recurring revenue through a licensing model and the company already has partners in Bulgaria and the Middle East and is now looking at the US. Now employing a 14-strong team of geneticists, sports scientists and doctors, the business has worked with Oxford and Loughborough universities and after £8million of investment in multiple rounds, including £275,000 from Innovate UK, it’s in the throes of a further £5million raise to grow FitnessGenes Pro.
Both partners in life and business, Decombel and Grice’s new product development is also focusing on partnerships in the personalised foods, drinks and supplements markets. An army of biological avatars could soon be on the march. Tests cost £149 or £69 with an existing DNA data file. https://www.fitnessgenes.com
