3billion selected as KOICA project operator... to build rare disease diagnostic system in Peru

[Financial News] AI-based rare disease diagnostics company 3billion is moving to build genomic diagnostic infrastructure in Peru and enter the Latin American public healthcare market.
3billion said on the 27th that it had been selected as the project operator for the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)’s Inclusive Business Solution Program (IBS). IBS is a public-private partnership program that leverages the capabilities of private companies to address social issues in developing countries and build sustainable business models.
3billion plans to use its AI software for interpreting genetic variants, GEBRA, to build rare disease diagnostic infrastructure and a genome-based newborn screening (gNBS) system in Peru. The five-year project will run from June 2027 to May 2032 and will be carried out in Lima, Callao and five provincial regions.
During the project, genomic testing will be provided to 5,000 people, including children suspected of having rare diseases and newborns in the general population, while the diagnostic capabilities of 1,500 local public healthcare professionals will be strengthened. The project will also establish a system to detect genetic diseases early through newborn screening and connect patients to follow-up care and treatment.
Peru is estimated to have around 2 million people with rare diseases, but at least 90% of its specialist medical personnel and diagnostic infrastructure are concentrated in the capital, Lima. 3billion plans to install next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing infrastructure and GEBRA at hub hospitals and, in collaboration with regional medical institutions, build a system that covers the process from testing and AI-based interpretation of genetic variants to diagnostic reporting. It will also provide medical staff training and quality control, helping local medical institutions operate the diagnostic system independently after the project ends.
After the project ends, 3billion plans to offer GEBRA as cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) and provide remote quality control services. Its strategy is to expand the model developed in Peru to neighboring Latin American countries and establish a foundation for supplying software and generating revenue in the public healthcare sector.
Lee Suk-jin, 3billion’s executive director in charge of business, said, "Through this project, we will establish a self-sustaining diagnostic system in Peru and use it as a springboard to expand our GEBRA business in the Latin American public healthcare market."
3billion currently provides genetic diagnostic services for rare diseases in around 80 countries. It has also participated in building rapid genomic diagnostic infrastructure for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a public healthcare institution in Morocco. Medical and research institutions in around 30 countries, including the United States, Austria and Saudi Arabia, use GEBRA or are evaluating its adoption.

[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter