Strand Life plans consumer-centric genetic test push to popularise early detection of cancer, fetal abnormalities

Genomics based research and diagnostic company Strand Life Sciences is planning to give a major push to consumer-centric genomic tests by offering a wide array of genomic screening tests that help early detection of medical and health problems at affordable rates.

Among the tests are the ones for early breast and ovarian cancer detection, single test for multi-cancer detection, non-invasive prenatal screening to detect fetal chromosomal abnormalities like Down Syndrome, and personalised nutrition, fitness and metabolism data to help lead healthy life style that suits one’s genetic makeup.

“We need to take genomics to a billion people. We are on that path” Ramesh Hariharan, CEO, Strand said.

 The Bengaluru based company, acquired by Reliance Industries in 2021, launched its Consumer Wellness Segment in 2023. Since inception, the 25-year old company has been focusing on research and providing genome sequencing and analysis and bioinformatics services to global life sciences research entities. While that remains its major revenue source, volume growth is triggered by the emerging area of consumer centric tests.

“We started (genomic tests for early detection of cancer) 10 years ago, but volumes started (coming in) in last three years (after the consumer centric segment took off)”, says Hariharan said.

The company carries out 40,000-50,000 tests in a year now.

“In the next 2-3 years, the oncology and the foetal tests will grow at least 20-30% annually. The oncology will grow faster, the reproductive health segment, though a much more commoditised market, will bring in volumes. In India these tests are still expensive so we are not at scale.  Once millions of people (because these are linked to detection and risk assessment) undergo these tests, once it that reaches scale, it will be a different picture. We are building up towards that. But today, profitability is far better in the US, growth rate is far better in India”, Hariharan said.

Strand has a network of about 2500 clinics and hospitals around the country, and also from 10 countries in Asia, South East Asia, and Middle East etc from where it receives the test samples now. The idea is go beyond the hospital network to tap the consumer directly in the wellness area.

It’s customer base for legacy business is primarily in the US. “We help companies in the US, companies creating genomic devices, companies offering genomic services, or pharma companies involved in drug discovery. We have collaborations with major universities, pharma companies to help improve the efficiency of drug discovery. We have completed more than 500 projects for all these US companies” Hariharan said.

Strand is credited to have built India’s first CAP-accredited genomic lab, published the first large-scale genomic studies in cancer and rare diseases in India and developed the country’s first methylation-based early cancer detection test. The company launched AVADIS, a platform for omics data analytics in 2003, launched StrandNGS, a data analysis platform for sequencing genomic data in 2010 and published first large scale study on genomic diagnostics for neurology in India with over 1000 patients.

Hariharan says Strand‘s focus on large scale studies will help the company steer ahead of competition in the coming years.  “In the next 2-3 years we will see more and more evidence (generated by the test results). The confidence in these products will grow”, he says.