All a Hollywood star needs to do is be seen with a designer outfit, bag, or shoes and that company can be propelled from anonymity into the white, hot spotlight. The same relationship can be true for genes and medication.
Such is the story of the BRCA-mutated gene, an IT entrepreneur in India, and Angelina Jolie, according to BW Disrupt.
I think Sam Santosh owes Angelia Jolie a big thank you. Santosh, who recently switched careers from IT to genomic services in India, has done very well for himself with his new company MedGenome, Inc. MedGenome uses DNA analysis to bring about the early detection and intervention of certain diseases, including BRCA-mutated breast cancer. But, that wasn’t always the case.
It was 2010 when Santosh started SciGenom to offer genomics series in farming, human, animal, and microbial divisions. When he identified the potential for growth of human genome research and testing, he spun off MedGenome to focus on medical diagnostics in India. MedGenome was the first company in India to offer a test that checks for the BRCA gene. The BRCA gene indicates the potential for inherited breast cancer. At the time, MedGenome was lucky if they had one taker a month for the test. Then Angelia Jolie captured headlines across the world.
In 2013, Angelina Jolie found she carried the BRCA1 gene. A disrupter gene know to increase the risk of her developing breast and ovarian cancer. Two relatives of Jolie were diagnosed with breast cancer. Although she did not have breast cancer, Jolie chose to have a preventive double mastectomy. And that was when MedGenome saw a huge jump in BRCA tests in India.
Gene testing and research have captured their own share of headlines, as scientific developments continue to be made. MedGenome recently launched a genetic carrier screening application designed to spot gene differences specific to the Indian population, itself.
Not all scientific advances can thank a Hollywood star, but the continued research of the BRCA1 gene has certainly been pushed onto the red carpet and into the headlines with the brutal honesty of a well-heeled starlet.
