Celmed launches hyper-personalized healthcare service based on genetic analysis

Celmed said Monday it is moving ahead with a hyper-personalized healthcare project built on genetic analysis technology.

Since the first half of this year, Celmed has offered a pharmacy-exclusive direct-to-consumer genetic testing service called Supergenobox through its member pharmacies. The service links genetic analysis results with professional nutritional counseling at participating pharmacies to deliver personalized health management.

Nutrigenomics is a field that studies the interaction between nutrients and genes, examining how differences in individual genetic traits affect nutrient metabolism and utilization.

To support the service, Celmed operates a genetic analysis laboratory in Daejeon. The company applies SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism)-based microarray analysis technology and uses its proprietary JBKCHIP platform.

The flagship Supergenobox service analyzes 144 wellness categories, covering genetic traits across a wide range of areas — 51 nutrition-related items, 10 on exercise habits, 20 on skin and beauty, 29 on personal characteristics and 29 on general health management. Test results are delivered as a roughly 350-page personalized genetic research note.

Testing kits are available only through pharmacies run by pharmacists who have completed mandatory genetic education training, where customers can also receive consultations on their results.

"Because each person's genetic traits are different, health management also needs to take individual characteristics into account," said Jang Bong-geun, chief executive of Celmed. "Identifying individual traits through genetic analysis and connecting them with a pharmacist's professional nutritional counseling is the core of what Celmed is pursuing."