A trilateral consortium comprising of Theragen Bio, Macrogen and DNA Link has been selected for the Korean government’s bio big data pilot business, the companies said Monday.

The K-DNA big data establishment business is a project backed by the Ministries of Health, Science and Business to gather genomic information of 20,000 Koreans in the span of the next two years. The analysis of these genomic data will provide a basis for various bio health care businesses.

Starting November, the consortium will begin an analysis of collected samples using next-generation sequencing technology. A total of 7,500 DNA samples will be analyzed in the first year of the project.

Theragen Bio, Macrogen and DNA Link formed the consortium in July and have taken preparative steps for the project launch, including setting standards for large-size clinical sample management, NGS data manufacturing, as well as management and pipeline formation.

The consortium was highly regarded in its ability to carry out clinical trials, generate quality data as well as ensure security, Theragen Bio said.

“The goal of this project is to find treatments for formerly incurable diseases, and to build independent genomic data for Korea that does not rely on western DNA analysis, which tends to differ from what fits Korean genetics and their links to diseases,” a Thergen Bio official told The Korea Herald.

Similarly in the US, the “All of US” project has acquired roughly 230,000 people’s DNA data since 2016 and aims to eventually collect one million samples. In the UK, between 2013 and 2018, some 100,000 people’s genomic data has been gathered, with a total of 5 million in mind.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)