Drop bio health
Mitigating disease through proactive healthcare.
Inflammation is an essential immune response to sudden body damage, activating cells that protect the body when it needs healing. But when these cells linger for longer than they should, chronic inflammation develops. And the cells attack healthy tissue. Left unchecked this can cause cancers, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases and more.
There are many causes of chronic inflammation. The research into the phenomenon and the potential to usher in a new era of personalised healthcare is the inspiration behind Drop Bio Health. The company is on a mission to accelerate the world’s transition to personalised care by providing new pathways for people wanting to take control of their health.
Their flagship initiative, WellBeing, provides bespoke insights into how the body changes over time, which enables the individual to make insight-driven lifestyle adjustments to improve their health.
The tests can be taken at home, in minutes. A finger-prick blood sample is mailed in for analysis. Then, blood test results and lifestyle in-depth assessments are uploaded to an online account. These personalised reports are backed by rigorous scientific and medical processes.
Drop Bio Health is a UNSW Sydney co-location partnership with a residency at the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. This is where the WellBeing blood samples are processed at an independently accredited lab space.
"The research to come out of UNSW’s partnership with Drop Bio will transform the field of inflammation and personal and preventative health, improving the quality of life of people across Australia and around the world."
- Professor Mark Wilkins, UNSW Sydney Deputy Dean of Research and Enterprise, UNSW Science
Challenges & opportunities
The company was founded in 2018 with the aim of providing early warnings for changes in wellbeing and disease.
“The ultimate goal of Drop Bio Health is to create a shift from a reactive health care system to a proactive one,” said Jim Liddle, Cofounder and CEO at Drop Bio Health. “This is done by empowering the individual with healthcare data that they understand so that they can make those more informed decisions and live healthier, longer lives.”
WellBeing combines blood biomarkers with lifestyle information to answer: What is happening to me? It provides insight into how daily habits affect blood markers.
Regular testing can detect and help revert health trends before they become a problem. “Over time we monitor changes in health and can generate inflammatory signatures that can predict the onset of chronic disease,” said Phil Hayes St-Clair, Cofounder and Non-Executive Director at Drop Bio Health.
The tests analyse for 25 different protein and hormone blood biomarkers. The biomarkers are crucial indicators of health and wellbeing across 6 key lifestyle areas: energy, inflammation, sleep, fitness, stress and body fat composition.
Company partner Amelia Phillips is a nutritionist and exercise scientist who combines the at-home health analysis with personalised coaching to achieve weight loss results for her clients in 8 weeks.
“Biomarkers are essentially measurable substances in our body,” Ms Phillips said. “Doctors have been measuring our biomarkers for decades. But what we’re seeing now with new technology, is that we can put biomarkers in the hands of everyday people. And instead of using them just to detect disease, we’re using them as a proactive health tool. And that is so empowering.”
“Partnering with a leading university like UNSW gives us immediate access to a wealth of research expertise, established networks and world-class technical infrastructure."
- Phil Hayes St-Clair, Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director at Drop Bio Health
Forward focused
The company is looking to build further services. They’ll be combining scientific evidence, technology and lived experience to directly help individuals, families, doctors and clinical researchers—and in doing so, advance a healthier society.
This includes not only tracking lifestyle interventions and providing early warning for the onset of inflammation-related chronic disease through personalised data, but improving the effectiveness of assisted reproductive services such as IVF and building a better understanding of mental health and developing next-generation models of telehealth-enabled care.
Drop Bio Health is a UNSW Sydney co-location partnership with a residency at the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. This is where the WellBeing blood samples are processed at an independently accredited lab space.
“The ultimate goal of Drop Bio Health is to create a shift from a reactive health care system to a proactive one,” said Jim Liddle, Cofounder and CEO at Drop Bio Health. “This is done by empowering the individual with healthcare data that they understand so that they can make those more informed decisions and live healthier, longer lives.”
