For decades, most diagnostic testing in India focused on blood chemistry, pathology, imaging, and microbiology. But a growing number of diseases now require a deeper layer of analysis — understanding a person’s genes.
Bengaluru-based MedGenome is one of the companies that helped bring genomic diagnostics into mainstream Indian healthcare.
Founded in 2013, MedGenome operates in genetic testing, genomic diagnostics, and precision medicine. The company runs laboratories that analyze DNA and genetic markers to help doctors diagnose inherited disorders, cancers, rare diseases, neurological conditions, reproductive health issues, and infectious diseases.
The company emerged from the broader genomics ecosystem built by entrepreneur Sam Santhosh through SciGenom Labs, a genomics research company established earlier in India.
MedGenome was co-founded by Mahesh Pratapneni, who serves as CEO. Before MedGenome, Pratapneni worked in technology and life sciences and became involved in genomic research commercialization through SciGenom.
The company started at a time when genomic testing in India was still relatively niche and expensive. Many advanced tests had to be sent overseas, increasing both costs and turnaround times. MedGenome’s strategy focused on building domestic sequencing and analysis capability inside India rather than depending entirely on foreign laboratories. Over time, it expanded from research services into full-scale clinical diagnostics.
The core of MedGenome’s business is genetic sequencing and interpretation. In simple terms, the company studies DNA samples collected from blood, saliva, tissue, or other biological material. These samples are processed using sequencing machines that read genetic information. Software systems and medical geneticists then analyze the data to identify mutations, inherited abnormalities, or disease-linked genetic patterns.
The company provides testing across several medical areas. In oncology, MedGenome analyzes tumor genetics to help doctors understand which mutations are driving cancer growth and whether targeted therapies may work. In reproductive health, it offers prenatal screening, carrier screening, and tests for inherited disorders. In neurology and pediatrics, the company works on identifying rare genetic diseases that are often difficult to diagnose through standard clinical testing.
One of MedGenome’s better-known products is non-invasive prenatal testing, or NIPT. This test analyzes fragments of fetal DNA circulating in the mother’s blood to screen for chromosomal abnormalities during pregnancy without invasive procedures. MedGenome says it launched one of India’s first NIPT platforms in 2017.
The company also developed liquid biopsy tools for cancer diagnostics. Unlike traditional biopsies that require tissue extraction, liquid biopsy tests attempt to detect cancer-related markers from blood samples. MedGenome launched a proprietary liquid biopsy platform for minimal residual disease monitoring in 2019, according to company records.
In practical operation, the system works through a network model. Doctors or hospitals prescribe tests based on clinical symptoms. Samples are collected either at hospitals, diagnostic centers, or partner labs and transported to MedGenome’s sequencing facilities. Sequencing machines generate large volumes of genomic data, which are then analyzed through bioinformatics pipelines and interpreted by medical experts before reports are issued to clinicians.
A major part of MedGenome’s positioning is its focus on South Asian genetic data. Genetic variations differ across populations, and many global genomic databases historically underrepresented Indian and South Asian populations. MedGenome says it has built one of the largest databases of South Asian genetic variants through its research and sequencing efforts.
The company is also a co-founding member of the GenomeAsia 100K initiative, an international effort to sequence Asian populations and improve genomic representation from the region.
The company also invested heavily in sequencing infrastructure. In 2024, MedGenome announced acquisition of the NovaSeq X Plus platform, described by the company as South Asia’s first installation of the system. High-throughput sequencing machines like this are important because they reduce sequencing costs and increase processing capacity.
Funding has been central to MedGenome’s growth because genomic infrastructure is expensive. Sequencing equipment, bioinformatics systems, laboratory accreditation, and specialist staff require large long-term investment.
The company raised its Series A funding of about $4 million in 2015 from Emerge Ventures. In 2017, it secured Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital. By 2019, MedGenome raised another $40 million in Series C1 funding from Sequoia India, Sofina, Zodius Capital, and HDFC. In 2021, the company announced a $55 million Series C2 round led by LeapFrog Investments. In 2022, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, led a $16.5 million Series C3 investment. The company’s largest recent funding came in 2025, when MedGenome raised $47.5 million in a Series E round co-led by Maj Invest and Novo Holdings, with participation from Sofina.
Market demand for genomic diagnostics has grown because doctors increasingly use genetic information for treatment decisions. Cancer treatment, fertility medicine, rare disease diagnosis, and newborn screening are major growth areas. However, adoption in India is still uneven because genomic tests remain expensive compared to conventional diagnostics and many clinicians still rely on traditional methods.
Competition in this sector is growing. Indian companies including Strand Life Sciences, Mapmygenome, Genes2Me, and 4baseCare also operate in genomics and molecular diagnostics. Internationally, companies such as Illumina, Invitae, Guardant Health, Tempus, and Veritas Genetics work in different parts of genomic testing and precision medicine.
Globally, genomics has become one of the fastest-growing areas in healthcare. Sequencing costs have fallen sharply over the past two decades, making DNA analysis far more accessible than before. Governments and healthcare systems in the United States, Europe, China, Singapore, and the Middle East have invested heavily in genomic medicine and population-scale sequencing programs.
India’s genomics market is still relatively early compared to larger global markets, but it is expanding quickly because of declining sequencing costs, rising cancer incidence, growing fertility treatment demand, and increasing awareness of inherited diseases.
MedGenome’s growth reflects how diagnostics in India are gradually shifting from standard pathology toward data-intensive molecular testing.
- Our correspondent
