Mygene

MyGene Pty Ltd

Company type	Private
Industry	Biotechnology
Founded	[Melbourne 2007 (2007)]
Founder	Harry Banaharis
Defunct	September 11, 2013 (2013-09-11)
Fate	Dissolved
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria , Australia
Key people	David Koadlow, Chairman, Nick Argyrou, CEO, Dr Graeme Smith, CSO
Services	Genetic testing
Owner	MyGene Holdings Pty Ltd
Number of employees	15
Subsidiaries	Advanced DNA Laboratories Pty Ltd Genetic Sciences Pty Ltd Genetic Investments Pty Ltd
Website	archive-au.com/page/376909/2012-10-05/http://www.mygene.com.au/

MyGene Pty. Ltd. was a privately held genetic testing services company located in Melbourne, Australia that owned and operated an accredited on-site laboratory.

MyGene specialised in the development of genetic tests and interpretive reports that assessed the genetic contribution of personal response to diet, also known as nutrigenetics.

Founding

MyGene was conceived and established by Harry Banaharis during work done initially in profiling umbilical cord blood and later mesenchymal stem cells. The business value proposition anticipated a desire by individuals to understand their genetic uniqueness and how such knowledge could be put to use to personalise their health choices. After some attempts to secure Australian laboratories to perform the testing in a commercially viable manner he decided to establish his own.

In 2006, he funded and deployed a prototype gene testing laboratory within the Alfred Hospital research centre utilising a Biotage Pyrosequencer instrument for analysing epigenetic changes in the promoter of TGF-beta gene to generate data towards his Honours thesis.

In 2007 he established the MyGene "DNA to data" commercial laboratory in Melbourne CBD and released the first direct to consumer genetic testing kit, the Sports Performance Gene Test. It analysed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 2 genes known to vary in power versus endurance athletes, ACTN3 and ACE I/D and a gene associated with impact sports head injury APOE4.

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  The MyGene Genetic Testing Kit with 2 coded swabs for buccal collection and customer ID card
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  Detail of collection swabs and customer ID card
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  Mygene Sports Performance Gene Test Brochure

In 2009 Harry Banaharis was joined by Nick Argyrou, a property developer and former SelecTV director and his wife Helen Argyrou, a pharmacy entrepreneur. The Argyrou's saw an opportunity to innovate in the crowded meal replacement market and the newly resourced company was oriented towards pursuing the development of nutrigenetic products and services. Graeme Smith, a nutritional biochemist and biomedical researcher was recruited to help formulate the meal replacement variants and develop accompanying genetically prescribed weight loss programs.

Nutrigenetics

MyGene's novel approach to predicting the hereditary component of dietary response was to test for variations in genes that were known to be associated with disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism (see US application 2012258183 ).

According to this method, the greater the number of genetic variants that an individual was found to carry that increased the risk of metabolic disturbances in glucose metabolism, the greater the sensitivity to dietary carbohydrates. Similarly, the number of genetic variations associated with adverse lipid metabolism was considered to be proportional to dietary fat sensitivity.

Sensitivity to a macronutrient would indicate that its reduction in the diet may have conferred increased metabolic and health benefits. Further refinements to personalising diet included tests for genes associated with gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, salt palatability, appetite control, folate and Vitamin D metabolism.

Weightloss Complete® Genetic Test

In 2011 MyGene brought to market a nutrigenetic dietary program to optimise weight loss that was composed of a genetic test, a genetically allocated meal replacement formulation and 12-week dietary program (MyGene Weightloss Complete®). Via a collaboration with The Pharmacy Guild of Australia (Australia's chief pharmacy body representing community pharmacies) a selected number of participating pharmacies installed MyGene booths whereby customers had their DNA collected for processing and were counselled on the type of dietary regime they should follow to achieve their desired weight management goals. The program was also offered in a clinical setting for the treatment of obesity.

Despite the support of the Pharmacy Guild the claims in MyGene's dietary program were met with scepticism particularly as supporting clinical research was found to be lacking . With no defence against the increasing questions being raised by the media about MyGene's $1,600 weight loss program and a campaign by the Professional Pharmacists Australia association to have Pharmacy endorsement rescinded it was inevitably withdrawn from the market at the beginning of 2012.

MyGene promotional advertising at a "Terry White" Toorak Road, Melbourne, Australia Pharmacy. MyGene's "Weightloss Complete Consulting Room" booth shown.

Voluntary Administration & Wind Up

On 11 September 2013, following irreconcilable differences between its major shareholders, MyGene was placed in voluntary administration and wound up.

Disambiguation

MyGene Pty Ltd and its registered Australian trademarks (1118770, 1349573) were unrelated to the "My Gene Profile" test and company that marketed it.

See also

• Genetic testing
• Nutrigenetics
• Pharmacogenetics
• Genetic counseling

Other Nutrigenetic Testing Companies

Pathway Genomics Inherent Health FitGenes

External links

• MyGene LinkedIn site
• Pathway Genomics Healthy Weight DNA Insight site
• Inherent Health site
• FitGenes site