The joint venture is backed by technology developed by the Centre for Novostics which is supported by the InnoHK Initiative of Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Commission
Hong Kong-born health sciences company Prenetics is the brainchild of Asia’s Most Influential honouree, Danny Yeung, and this week he has added a new milestone to his belt.
On Monday, June 26, the entrepreneur announced the launch of Insighta, a joint venture with renowned scientist Dennis Lo. The company aims to revolutionise early detection of multi-cancer. Backed by world-class science from Lo and US$100 million funding [more than HK$780 million] from Prenetics, the joint venture is poised to transform cancer screening. Insighta plans to introduce Presight for screening lung and liver cancers in 2025, and to expand with Presight One for detecting more than ten cancers in 2027, bolstering Hong Kong’s standing as a global hub for life science innovations.
Yeung will lead the new company as CEO. In a statement to the press, Yeung said: “I am absolutely thrilled to embark on this joint venture alongside professor Dennis Lo, a figure of immense reverence in the scientific community. His pioneering work in genomics has already transformed millions of lives around the globe. The potential of our Presight test is immense, potentially influencing the health of one billion individuals in Asia. Our primary focus for the launch will be in mainland China, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.”
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Lo, renowned for his ground-breaking work in non-invasive prenatal testing—which he introduced in 2011, and which provides the standard for care for prenatal screening for more than ten million expectant mothers annually across more than 90 countries—received the UK’s Royal Medals and The Breakthrough Prize—dubbed the Oscars of Science—in 2021 and the prestigious Lasker Awards in 2022 for his contributions to medical science. It is his new breakthrough technology, Fragma, that will be used for multi-cancer early detection screening at Insighta.
With cancer causing six million deaths in Asia each year, early detection will be key to increasing survival rates. With a target price of less than US$200 [approximately HK$1,500] per test, Insighta aims to transform early cancer detection “from a luxury to a universally accessible necessity,” says Yeung.