Patent pending: Hong Kong’s Govita to expand metabolic tests and personalised nutraceutical business in China

The firm has developed 15 DNA and metabolic tests that can analyse various health conditions from immunity, mental health, fitness to prenatal at the cellular level, to help individuals can better predict and prevent diseases through dietary and lifestyle interventions.

In Hong Kong, it is mostly B2B customers such as doctors, nutritionists, and fitness coaches among its clientele.

The firm recently opened an e-commerce store selling some of the test kits and is hoping to enter China later this year or earlier next year.

“China is our target market, as it has a large population who really pay attention to their health, especially during the pandemic time, we know the customer’s spending behaviours, policy support, connections and related industries​,” said Dr Vince Gao, the founder and CEO.

In addition to bringing the DNA and metabolic tests to China, the firm is also hoping to introduce its newly launched nutraceuticals personalised solution business which come in a personalised monthly box of daily supplements.

Cellular understanding​

Govita’s tests and products are based on the Biological Pathway Omics (BPO) theory created by Gao, which combine genomics, metabolomics and proteomics with artificial intelligence to understand health at a cellular level.

For instance, its immunity test analyses the average length of telomere in the cell to signal how well the immune system is working. The prenatal test checks for vitamin levels, as well as analyses various gene to identify the risk of gestational diabetes, postpartum depression, risk of having cardiovascular disease during pregnancy and more.

The DNA and metabolic tests are non-invasive, which means sampling in the form of urine, saliva or dried blood sample, making it convenient for individuals to collect samples at home and mailing it to the firm’s lab in Hong Kong.

Govita is hoping to analyse samples in China as well: “We are in the process of working with Chinese strategic business partners and investors, so we can set up a clinic and lab in China​.

“We will leverage the government’s Great Bay Area (GBA) policies to perform molecular tests and intervention products legally in Hong Kong, we will enter the GBA area physically to set up the certified medical facilities and provide all our tests and health solutions in China​,” Dr Gao said.

Nutraceutical products​

For its D2C personalised nutrition service, Govita also uses BPO to formulate nutraceuticals with active ingredients, such as peptides, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.

Personalisation spans both the active ingredient dose to delivery format, and users also have access to an app to track their health, the science behind the data and to interact with Govita’s support team.

It costs from several hundreds to over thousands RMBs for molecular testing, nutraceuticals and the personalised solutions depending on the health conditions, dosages and duration of the treatments.

As a novel product, costs are still relatively high: but “If more people use our products, we can certainly reduce the cost of testing and nutraceuticals and personalised solutions​,” Gao added.

“Our products are novel and people may not understand well in the beginning, so we need to educate consumers and healthcare professionals as well.”​

Besides the online store, the firm is exploring setting a clinic or health centre where it can offer consultation to individuals or give seminars.

Govita sources its ingredients mostly from Japan, US and China, and the supplements are manufactured in the US. Although it is exploring the idea of local manufacturers in Hong Kong.

Its BPO technology is currently pending patent in US, Singapore and China.