DNA knows your ancestral roots - YouWho offers to crack that code [VIDEO]

EDGC co-founder and co-CEO Shin Shang-cheol speaks during an interview at The Korea Times' office in Seoul, July 14. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min

By Jung Min-ho

Shin Shang-cheol, co-founder and co-CEO of EDGC, a genetic analysis company in Incheon, is Korean. But ethnically, it is a bit more complicated: he is 47.71 percent Korean, 26.56 percent Chinese, 23.44 percent Japanese and some other roots originate from Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Shin made this assessment based on his test results from YouWho, which can trace people back to their ancestral roots through genetic analysis. It provides details of what regions and ethnicities the users' DNA is most related to by comparing it against its reference data set.

Since the firm started the service four months ago, more than 11,000 people have had their DNA analyzed. It is a remarkable performance, especially given the adverse business conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Shin said in a recent interview.

"My goal is to attract more than 5 million customers in five years," he said. "In the long run, EDGC aims to provide the service to customers all around the world, especially in Asia."

EDGC is one of only four firms permitted last year by the government to provide certain types of genetic tests directly to customers in Korea.

Since then, the company has enhanced its genetic classification system for the Korean lineage. Shin says ethnic Koreans can be classified into seven paternal blood relatives and 12 maternal ones.

All it takes to get the answer is a sample of saliva, which has cells containing DNA. For many, it could be a fun way to learn about yourself and bring insight into ancestry, genealogy and inherited traits, such as the photic sneeze reflex, a condition that makes people sneeze when they are exposed to bright lights.

"I want people to know that DNA testing is fun and useful," Shin said. "Genetic information is not something only for scientists working in a laboratory; it is for everyone for their everyday lives. It has already been popularized in the United States."

Shin says bioscience is changing the world fast. He believes genetic testing for all newborns will soon ― far sooner than many would think ― become standard practice in many countries.

"If you think about it, only about 100 years ago, newborns did not receive blood testing, but today many do," he said.

"The costs for healthcare are mounting, which has led many policymakers to think they may need genetic testing for all newborns. I think the United States will lead the change (to universal DNA screening), because the country can reduce costs significantly by doing so because universal screening would prevent many diseases."

As the burgeoning era of big data affects many industries, it is also critical for EDGC to secure genetic data, he said. As a company that offers health consulting services based on genome analysis, its growing YouWho database is expected to present more opportunities.

EDGC is preparing for a 'significant' coronavirus mutation

EDGC and its subsidiary SolGent are among the most-highlighted Korean companies after COVID-19 plunged the world into a global health crisis.

SolGent's COVID-19 detection kits (DiaPlexQ) have been exported to more than 50 countries, including Germany and the United States. The achievement came after obtaining CE marking, a certification that demonstrates conformity with health and safety standards for products in Europe, and emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Shin believes the crisis will continue into next year, and the worst is yet to come.

"There have been reports about coronavirus mutations: different genetic groups of the virus named A, B and C," he said. "There have also been cases in which the virus is suspected of displaying different patterns. I believe it is likely that we will face a significantly mutated virus ― something more deadly ― later this year, and we are preparing for this."

Shin called the current situation "a world war between the virus and all mankind."

"So it is very regretful to see conflict intensifying between the United States and China, at a time when global leadership and cooperation are vital," he said.

Shin is skeptical that effective COVID-19 vaccines will be developed anytime soon.

"There have been great efforts to develop HIV vaccines since the 1990s, but we still don't have one. People get vaccinated for the flu, but its effectiveness varies every year," he said.

"But history shows that great scientific progress comes from great challenges. We also try our best to do our part; sharpening our techniques to detect the disease."

Detecting cancer at its earliest stages

One of EDGC's key business areas is to develop cancer screening technologies ― something that can detect stage 1 cancer with more than 90 percent accuracy.

After years of trial and error, the company is focusing on a DNA methylation-based cancer liquid biopsy, a non-invasive method that enables doctors to get information about a tumor through a simple blood sample. It is an alternative procedure to traditional tissue biopsies.

"Cancer is no longer a fatal disease as long as it is detected early," Shin said. "If it is possible to detect the cancer at its earliest stages with regular blood testing, we can save many lives.

"It is a dream technology into which we have been investing a great deal of money."