Biotech Startup PathGen Receives Initial Funding from East Ventures and Royal Group Indonesia

Startups Biotech PathGen announced funding with an undisclosed amount from East Ventures and Royal Group Indonesia. These fresh funds will be allocated for R&D development, technology, market expansion, and others.

"We are confident that this funding will support our mission to improve people's quality of life by democratizing molecular testing solutions that are appropriate to local contexts," said PathGen Co-founder and CEO Susanti in an official statement, Friday (19/4).

PathGen is an Indonesia-based biotechnology startup that focuses on molecular testing solutions. This startup was founded in 2020 by Susanti (CEO) and Michael Rampangilei (COO) who joined in 2023. They believe that early detection of disease and access to more precise treatment are crucial to preventing health complications, but unfortunately not everyone can do it.

Therefore, PathGen is here with a vision to democratize genomic solutions in low and middle income countries by providing affordable molecular diagnostic tools to detect cancer and various other diseases in Indonesia.

“We welcome PathGen to our ecosystem and are excited to support PathGen in making this solution even more accessible to the market. "We are confident that this investment will not only drive innovation but also strengthen our ability to improve and create positive clinical outcomes," said Co-Founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures. Willson Cuaca.

Royal Group Indonesia Shareholder Irawan Mulyadi added that his party will support PathGen in realizing its ambition to promote health and welfare through precision medicine by providing targeted and affordable molecular diagnostics for Indonesia and other countries.

“We will bring our corporate and business expertise to PathGen and ensure sustainable and impactful business growth. "Collaboration with East Ventures will allow us to combine our strengths and capabilities to continue breakthrough innovation in the health sector," he said.

PathGen Solutions

One of the diseases that is a global health challenge is cancer, which causes nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. About half of all cancer cases occur in developing and low-income countries.

However, the WHO (World Health Organization) revealed that there is a gap in access to comprehensive cancer treatment. Although more than 90% of high-income countries have adequate resources, unfortunately less than 15% of low-income countries do.

For example, in Indonesia, only 18% of health facilities have access to molecular cancer tests, this is due to high costs, test complexity, and limited human and laboratory capacity.

As a solution, PathGen provides an accessible and reliable molecular diagnostic solution to identify risk based on family history, determine prognosis (estimated probability of developing a disease), and predict treatment response.

To facilitate smooth testing and increase adoption in the Indonesian market, these test kits will mostly be PCR-based. This approach takes advantage of the abundance of PCR instruments in Indonesia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By utilizing PCR technology, PathGen's ambition is to provide a comprehensive testing solution that is feasible, both technically and financially with existing infrastructure and considering price constraints in the Indonesian market.

PathGen also develops molecular diagnostics through the development of cutting-edge technologies such as Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for cancer and other diseases. NGS has revolutionized genomics enabling rapid and cost-effective analysis of large genomes, and at the same time, facilitating comprehensive disease profiling.

This approach identifies genetic variants associated with drug response and metabolism and can result in personalized treatment by optimizing drug selection and dosing for each patient. Additionally, PathGen innovates with digital pathology and AI platforms to improve diagnostic accuracy and precision.

Since its founding, the company has recorded several achievements, including a strategic partnership with biotechnology company, BioFarma, to manufacture and distribute its first product, BioColoMelt-Dx, a molecular diagnostic tool for colorectal cancer which was launched in 2022.

This product was launched as the first molecular diagnostic kit in Indonesia that has been tested and produced locally. It is stated that BioColoMelt-Dx is available at major cancer hospitals in Indonesia, including the Dharmais Cancer Center and Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.