Speaking to NutraIngredients on the sidelines of last week’s Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH), Alicia Ng, vice president and head of R&D for Wider Asia at Haleon, highlighted that self-care represents the future of consumer health in Asia-Pacific (APAC).
“Here in APAC, we envision that healthcare will be much more towards self-care,” she said. “This is because there is only 0.5 to 1 doctor per 1,000 population in many countries here, which is a very low rate. That’s why consumers need to be empowered to take health into their own hands.”
During the event, Haleon hosted a session titled “Co-creating the future of consumer health”, featuring a panel discussion on factors driving successful partnerships between start-ups and corporates.
Working with start-ups
The event also included a pitching session by five start-ups active in the consumer health space, which reflected Haleon’s interest in digital screening as self-care tool.
“We are here seeking partnership to come up with some kind of digital devices that consumers can use to do some self-assessment before they need to see a doctor,” Ng said.
Gray Matter Solutions, a Singapore spin-off from the Nanyang Technological University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, for instance, has created a digital health platform that uses gamification to assess cognitive function and monitor age-related changes.
The platform, named ReCOGnAIze, uses neuroscientific games to identify early signs of cognitive impairment in 15 minutes.
India-based start-up Salcit, pitched its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cough analysis to provide insights into lung health. Known as Swaasa, it assesses respiratory health through audiometric analysis of cough sounds in conjunction with critical data from an individual’s temperature, oxygen saturation, existing medical history, past activity and other symptoms.
The other three start-ups showcased were: Biobytes, which looks at muscle health; longevity-focused digital health app GOQii; and ScanO, which uses AI-powered image analysis for insights on oral health.
Existing partnerships
Haleon sees real opportunity in partnering with start-ups to drive innovation and advance consumer health.
“We have hosted this event to demonstrate that Haleon really is open for business and would like to connect with start-ups and connect with the organizations that connect us to start-ups,” said Steve Walsh, discover & apply lead at Haleon. “We see real opportunity to partner with those companies to help our consumers.”
Singapore-based microbiome start-up AMILI, which specializes in the study of Asian microbiome and has developed probiotics supplements, had a successful pitch to Haleon and has been working with the company for about two years.
“We are working with them to identify microbiome markers of different diseases and conditions, so that we can predict, prevent, delay the development of the illness and increase the health span of our consumers,” Ng said.
Haleon also relies on research partners in Singapore including the Academy of Healthy Longevity at the National University of Singapore’s School of Medicine, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), as well as NTU.
AI and tech for self-care
At least three of the five start-ups showcased the use of AI.
“AI is giving people access to an amazing amount of information,” Walsh told NI. “We have people who are far more informed than they were ever before, and and this is enabling self-care.”
He added that self-care is a never-ending journey that evolves alongside technological advancements.
“I think it’s a continuum. I don’t there is quite a destination [to an ideal state of self-care],” he said.
“We are a lot further forward than we were quite a short time ago, and I think there will be amazing leaps forward. I don’t think it’s something that we’ll at any point be able to rest and we have to keep going.
