Are you 40 going on 60? Medfuture wants to calculate your biological clock

A few years ago Mario Tremblay was diagnosed with a degenerative osteoarthritis that prevented him from living the active lifestyle he had enjoyed for decades and forced him on a regimen of medications that led to a multitude of side effects. “After a while I did some research and decided I wanted to stop being a degenerative human,” recalled Tremblay, a technology entrepreneur whose Montreal-based company RobotShop sells robotics technology to customers around the world. “Through a private lab, I started closely monitoring my biomarkers and worked on doing things to get them back to normal levels. “As I did this, the pain started to leave my body and last year I ran a 50-kilometre race.” Read: How sweat sensors could play a critical role in monitoring our health Tremblay’s road to recovery led him to the start of another journey: a new business venture that would build on what he learned as a patient and on his expertise in technology. In January 2018, he founded Medfuture, a company that began as a home blood collection service provider and has since grown to include a telemedicine consultation service for mental health and, most recently, a clinic in MIrabel, Que., where patients can come in for minor emergencies. In September Medfuture launched an app that will give patients access to a wide range of lab tests-based health data such as white- and red blood cells, uric acid and vitamin B12 levels. Coming soon to the app is an “age clock” tracker, which will be based on results from either a telomeres analysis or an “agemeter vitality index” that looks at factors such as memory, hearing, reaction and decision-making time, speed of travel and coordination. Read: The mysteries of mitochondria Both tests are available now by appointment in Quebec. The telomere analysis, which includes home blood collection by a nurse and virtual consultation sessions before and after the test, costs $1,099 while the agemeter vitality index costs $99. “I see the human body as much like a process or a machine,” said Tremblay. “By applying the principles of engineering—which in this application means measuring and closely following the body’s biomarkers—you can take steps to bring those biomarkers to the levels that are most advantageous for your health.” The goal, he added, is to help patients create health plans that are as unique and personalized to them as their own bodies. The more information they have at their fingertips, the more proactive they’ll be when it comes to staying healthy. “Today doctors make the health decisions and the patients basically follow,” said Tremblay. “What we want to do is put the health data in the hands of the patients so they can act and make changes for the good of their own health.” Read: Toronto-based company wants to bring precision medicine to community pharmacists

Are you 40 going on 60? Medfuture wants to calculate your biological clock

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