Estonian health technology company Antegenes won an international health data competition

The Connected Health cluster, led by Tehnopol science and business park, is pleased to congratulate its member Antegenes, who won an international health data competition.

The Antegenes project for the introduction of genetic data from the gene donors of the Estonian gene bank in health care in the form of innovative genetic tests became the winner of The Fair Health Data Challenge, a fair data use competition organized by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.

Dr Peeter Padrik, CEO and founder of Antegenes, said that the aim of the project is to provide people with more accurate medical recommendations for accurate cancer prevention and early detection using innovative genetic information.

Padrik added: “Antegenes has so far provided novel cancer genetic risk assessments with personalized precision prevention recommendations to about four thousand Estonians.”

“We are very pleased that the project aimed at gene donors has also gained international recognition, especially from the point of view of the fair use of genetic data. We can say that there are two innovations in the project: the introduction of polygenic risk score technology in healthcare and, on the other hand, the introduction of biobank genetic data into healthcare,” said Padrik. As part of the project, more than 4,200 people have already received a genetic test report for accurate cancer prevention.

The aim of the competition was to find practical examples in Europe of solutions that use health data in a transparent and inclusive way. According to an international jury of experts, the Antegenes solution is a great example of how a person who provides a gene sample to a biobank can directly benefit from sharing his or her data. “Early detection of cancer is significant from a public health perspective. The solution optimally combines the use of different data sources and offers people the opportunity to get real benefits for their health based on consent, “said the jury.

Within the framework of the Antegenes project, gene donors of the Estonian gene bank receive genetic predisposition estimates for the most common types of cancer on the basis of their own genetic data. Genetic risk tests developed by Antegenes use genetic data from a gene pool with human consent to assess the risk of cancer. Existing gene donors can apply to the gene bank to release their data. After placing a test order on the Antegenes website, a user account will be opened for the gene donor, through which their data can be securely transmitted.

Based on the submitted data, a personal medical report will be prepared for use in healthcare, which will contain scientifically substantiated medical recommendations for accurate cancer prevention and further research. All test results are transmitted to the national health information system for use in the general health care system. The tests are based on a new technology for polygenic risk scores.

The whole process is web-based and gene donors can order one test for free. Genetic data shall be stored and processed securely by Antegenes in accordance with the requirements and laws laid down by the healthcare provider. When data is released to a gene donor, the gene data is also stored in the gene bank.

“The winning solutions have a clear vision of a better future, where data sharing creates increasingly innovative solutions that benefit everyone,” said Stephan Schug, chairman of the jury and digital health strategy leader at IQmed Healthcare Consultants in Germany. In addition to Antegenes, the Latvian start-up company Longenesis and the Finnish Sensotrend were also crowned winners.

Unlike other competitions in this field, an international jury of experts focused primarily on the fairness of the solution from the point of view of the various parties and the individual’s ability to manage their own data. Candidates were assessed on the basis of the following criteria: management of their personal data; user-friendliness and data accessibility; data sharing model; justice, security and confidentiality; the impact of the solution; innovation and trust.

Founded in 2018, Antegenes is an innovation-oriented health technology company and medical laboratory that creates and implements solutions based on genetic information for the personalized prevention of serious complex diseases.

The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra is an independent public foundation that aims to promote international competitiveness and cooperation by implementing projects that increase the efficiency of the economy, improve the level of education or research, or study future developments.

Antigenes Gene Donor Campaign: http://antegenes.com/en/gene donor/

Information about the Fair Health Data Challenge: https://www.sitra.fi/en/projects/the-fair-health-data-challenge/