Eugene Consulting Inc.
111 St. Clair Ave W
Toronto, ONM4V 1N5

Oct/Nov Reporthttps://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/vets-dog-dna-test/575152/(Nov 12, 2018_• Mars Petcare first launched their DNA test for dogs in 2007
o Could only get through a vet
o Required a blood draw
• In 2009, the company changed gear and began selling their Wisdom Panel test directly tocustomers by extracting DNA from saliva instead of from blood• Some other companies that do DNA testing for dogs:o Embark
o DNA My Dogo Paw Print Genetics• The tests tell you what breed mixes your dog is and some offer risk estimates to morethan 150 health condition• Many veterinarians are skeptical about these tests because clinical genetics is a new field
to them and they are not very educated in it• Also, while humans can be referred to genetic counselors, no such thing exists for dogs
• There is no larger body that regulates dog DNA tests• As a result, dog-DNA companies are collaborating in the Harmonization of Genetic
Testing for Dogs project in an attempt to self-regulate
o At the core of this project is a database of dog genes that have been linked todifferent diseases in different breeds• Embark (another company) has a veterinary team that reach out to customers and helps
customers understand their results• Through these genetic tests, these companies are creating a huge genetic data base thatcan be used for future dog researchhttps://singularityhub.com/2018/11/14/designer-babies-and-their-babies-where-ai-and-genomicscould-take-us/#sm.000179ue6q1c2bd1rzmpnatmoysxz (Nov 14, 2018)• One crucial tech intersection is that of artificial intelligence and genomics• The field of genomics
o In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick identified the double helix structure ofDNA - realized that the order of the base pairs held a treasure trove o genetic
informationo 2003 - Human Genome Project was completed → learned the order of thegenome’s 3 billion base pairs and the location of specific genes on ourchromosomeso 2018 – we are moving into the age of gene editing in plants, animals, and humans

OCT/NOV REPORTEUGENE CONSULTING INC.

Eugene Consulting Inc.
111 St. Clair Ave W
Toronto, ONM4V 1N5•••••••••••In 2016, DeepMind’s AlphaGo (https://deepmind.com/research/alphago/) program
outsmarted the world’s top Go player
2017 – AlphaGo Zero was created (this machine was simply given the rules of Go) → in
4 days, it defeated the AlphaGo program
Getting a standardized set of rules for our biology will require genomic data
UK’s National Health Service recently announced a plan to sequence the genomes of 5
million Britons over the next 5 years
In the US – the All of Us Research Program (https://allofus.nih.gov) will sequence amillion Americans
China – goal of sequencing half of all newborns by 2020
Most valuable information will come from comparing people’s sequenced genomes totheir electronic health records and their life records
To compare genotypes and phenotypes at scale will require AI and big data analytic
tools, and algorithms
o This could lead us to predictive medicine where we know when and wheredifferent diseases are going to occur and prevent them before they start
1 application of genomic knowledge → embryo selectiono Be able to predict with increasing levels of accuracy, specific traits and diseasestateso For instance, people could pick an egg based on its optimal genetic sequence inthe process of
The combination of in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG) and gene editing is highly likely
o Gene editing technologies could allow us to repair, add, or remove genes during
the IVG process and eliminate diseases or confer advantages
This some with ethical conversations about what steps must be taken to keep this techfrom becoming a tool for the wealthy and perpetuating inequality

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-27/china-opens-a-pandora-s-box-of-humangenetic-engineering (Nov 27, 2018)• A Chinese researcher claims that he successfully modified the genes of human embryoso Jiankuiu He - an American-educated scientist based on Shenzhen
o Announced Monday Nov 26, 2018 that he used Crispr (a powerful gene-editingtool) to make recently born twin girls resistant to HIV
o His claims have not yet been verified
o Some are saying this is irresponsible use of a technology who long-term effects
are still poorly understood• China is likely to become the country where researchers most rapidly test the currentlyaccepted boundaries of genetic manipulation due to its aggressively entrepreneurial
startups and less stringent regulationo Can capitalize rapid innovationo But could also put patients in serious risks
OCT/NOV REPORTEUGENE CONSULTING INC.

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111 St. Clair Ave W
Toronto, ONM4V 1N5•
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This can cause a technology arms race with the US and Europe, who is for strict
regulation
A Chinese official started on Nov 27th and China had outlawed the use of gene-editing for
fertility purposes in 2003
Jiankuiu He is planning to make the project’s data public on Wednesday Nov 28 at aninternational genetics conference in Hong Kong
However, the hospital where Jiankuiu He got approval for his work is now stating thatthey believed signatures on an application to the hospital’s medical ethic committee wasforgedo A public-security organization is no undergoing investigation
China has been much faster to commercialize application of AI that would raise ethicaland regulatory concerns in other countries
Scientists could use gene-editing to engineer humans to be smarter, more resistant todisease, and even physically stronger → has the potential to be used create a risingsuperpower
The university that Jiankuiu He serves as an associate professor has disassociatedthemselves from his work
Renzong Qiu, who is known as the “father of bioethics” in China says that Jiankuiu Hework likely violates existing government regulations
The US and Europe has restricted the use of Crispr for germ-line editing → making
changes that will impact the descendants of the patient
While China has government guideline’s that prohibit experimentation on embryos morethan 14 days after fertilization, Chinese rules don't impose penalties for violations

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/2174815/china-pins-its-hopes-beating-usrace-bio-intelligence-supremacy (Nov 27, 2018)• China invested US $9 billion in expanding its AI and biotech copiabilities inland andbeyond its borderso This boost their ability to commodify biological and genomic data
• Some believe China’s global leadership with emerges at the convergence of AI andgenomics• AI programs that can decode the genetic profiles of entire populations and ecosystems
make cyber-colonization increasingly likely
o Can lead to massive shifts in geopolitical power• China and Silicon Valley are in a cyber race → to see who will control our biologicaldata• Biological data has C a fuel for economic, medical, and security supremacy• China has already surpassed the US in large scale, low-cost gene-sequencing• The world’ largest genetic research center is in Shenzhen → Beijing Genomics
Instituteo Holds about 40 million people’s DNA samples
OCT/NOV REPORTEUGENE CONSULTING INC.

Eugene Consulting Inc.
111 St. Clair Ave WToronto, ONM4V 1N5••••••••••••o They provide their services to health and biotech groups in more than 60countries
In 2013, BGI bought Complete Genomics in California with the intent to build its
own advanced genomic sequences machineso This was tech that was mainly mastered by American producers
The Chinese company, WuXi NextCODE was an early investor in 23&Me → they
now have their foot in the US and in China + an extensive library of genomes fromboth continentsWuXi NextCODE is one of the largest genomic data platforms using machinelearning to better diagnose rare diseases and cancer and designing tailoredtherapeutics
About US $13 billion of Facebook shares was recently invested in the ChanZuckerberg Initiative → pursues the ambition to develop a human cells’ atlas to cure,prevent, and manage all diseases in our children’s lifetime
The Chinese government has outlined a “military-civilian integration development
strategy” to harness AI and biotech to enhance Chinese national power
Beijing has also kept Silicon Valley giants out of the Chinese market for years
In the first half of 2018, Chinese private equity and venture capital funds invested
US$5.1 billion in the US AI and biotech sectors
o Their aim is to gain even more technological and human capitalThe dangers of this biotech race is inequality between countries that are tech leaders
and those that are tech takers will riseo Capacities will raise ambitions to monetize and possibly even weaponize biointelligenceo Unless there is a transfer of skills and financial benefit sharing
Liquid biopsies – blood tests to diagnose cancer – are predicted to become the next
commercial gold rush in health carehttps://www.siliconrepublic.com/jobs/genomics-medicine-ireland-jobs-wuxi-nextcodeinvestment (Nov 27, 2018)
Up to 600 jobs spanning research, informatics, data science, software and medicine are tobe created in Ireland as part of a $400m (€350m) investment in Genomics Medicine
Ireland (GMI) (https://genomicsmed.ie/careers/)
In an investment involving the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) as well asinternational investors WuXi NextCode, Arch Venture Partners, Polaris Partners,Temasek, Yunfeng Capital and Sequoia Capital, Dublin will become a global hub forgenomics research.
Under the terms of the investment, $225m (about €197m) will be committed to GMI in
the near term, increasing to $400m in line with the achievement of milestones as GMI
expands and as ICALS develops in the medium term.

OCT/NOV REPORTEUGENE CONSULTING INC.

Eugene Consulting Inc.
111 St. Clair Ave W
Toronto, ONM4V 1N5•••••

GMI, currently based in Cherrywood in Dublin, is creating a scientific platform toexamine the human genome in order to better understand the role of genetics in disease
and rare conditions, leading to new prevention strategies and treatments.
o Company was founded in Ireland in 2015 by a group of leading life sciences
entrepreneurs, investors and researchers.
o CEO of GMI: Anne Jones
The investment will be used to create the world’s largest wholesale genome sequencing
programmes
o Programme will target participation from 400,000 volunteers – or one in every 10
people in Ireland – including patients with a range of common and rare diseases.
The population if Ireland is relatively homogenous, making key genes easier to identify
As well as finding cures, the work of GMI and WuXi NextCode’s(https://www.wuxinextcode.com) genomics platform could in turn be leveraged to attract
more investment and make Ireland a global life sciences hub
Similar to the experience of San Diego → San Diego has built an entire ecosystem
around genomics and related life sciences sectors

OCT/NOV REPORTEUGENE CONSULTING INC.