A new company under financial investment firm SOL Partnership has launched what could be the first at-home gut health test service powered by AI in Malaysia.

SpaceGut offers an at-home gut microbiome kit and a laboratory service that provides personalised recommendations for an individual's gut health. Leveraging a proprietary AI, its laboratory evaluates samples compared against a database of over 50,000 microbiome profiles to identify more than 30 health markers.

WHY IT MATTERS

In a statement, SpaceGut stressed Malaysia's "silent crisis" in gut health. "We see a rise in gut-related health issues in Malaysia, from digestive discomfort to chronic conditions linked to lifestyle and diet," said founder Tony Wong. 

Based on findings from the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey by the Ministry of Health Malaysia's Institute for Public Health, around two in five adults or 8.5 million have metabolic syndrome. These include such conditions as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar, putting them at risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and colon or liver cancers. 

Meanwhile, SpaceGut also disclosed its plan to expand into supplements, wellness centres, and nutritionist services in the future. 

MARKET SNAPSHOT

In neighbouring country Singapore, AMILI is also a gut microbiome-focused company that has its proprietary analytics engine and multi-ethnic microbiome database. In 2022, it raised over $10 million in Series A funding, followed by an undisclosed investment from East Ventures last year. 

Viome in the United States is a major player in the gut microbiome space, being the first to offer an at-home RNA-based test. It has also made its test kit available in retail pharmacies under CVS.