A Software Guy Turned Into BioTech Entrepreneur and Founded Medgenome, Sam Santhosh

Sam Santhosh is the founder of Medgenome, a genomics research and diagnostics company whose purpose is to enhance world health by decoding the genetic information stored in each person’s genome. Developing nucleic acid extraction kits utilising their patented magnetic nanoparticles-based method is one of our ongoing projects. Under the brand names XpressDNA and XpressAffinity, the company has created DNA extraction kits and affinity resins.

Sam is a driven entrepreneur with more than 20 years in the software sector and the last 12 in the biotech industry. In 2013, he founded MedGenome, a global leader in genomics research and diagnostics based in San Francisco with labs in Bangalore, India, and Singapore.

When the first human genome was sequenced in early 2003, this idea germinated. It received a lot of attention in the USA. As someone who works in the software sector, he saw this as the equivalent of receiving the source code for life. It was also a challenge because he hadn’t studied biotechnology since his tenth grade. But, because his software company was well-established, he had time. As a result, he spent the next few years honing his biology skills. He took a variety of courses, including evening sessions and conferences. During that time, technology advanced quickly, increasing the power of sequencing while lowering the cost.

By 2009, he had recognised that the time had come to sell his software company. He founded SciGenom Labs in Kochi to conduct study on all living things. The idea was to use sequencing technology to establish a bioinformatics team in India. He was able to persuade a few people in the United States to return to India. The human gene sequencing section of the company was later split off as Medgenome.

Its one-of-a-kind access to Indian genomes data with clinical and phenotypic characteristics helps researchers better understand the biology of complicated diseases, paving the way for individualised health care. MedGenome is the market leader in South Asia for genomic diagnostics and a global leader in genomic research services. MedGenome is also a founding member of the GenomeAsia 100K programme, which aims to sequence 100,000 genomes across Southeast Asia.