Deputy Health Minister opens Saudi Arabia’s first-of-its-kind Genalive labs

Logo of Genalive

Abdulaziz Al-Rumaih, Deputy Minister for Health, opened on June 7 Genalive laboratories, the first-of-its-kind genetic testing lab in the Kingdom, on a total area of more than 4,000 square meters in Riyadh.

The company provides comprehensive solutions to its customers, utilizing top-notch diagnostic techniques. The laboratories aim to localize specialized genetic testing and offer routine tests, including blood, biochemical, immune, and genetic examinations spanning genetic diseases, genetic venereal, genetic cancerous diseases as well as diagnostic medicine examinations for cancerous diseases.

Saeed Al-Amoudi, CEO of Genalive, said that these examinations are a key pillar in reducing the spread of genetic diseases. It gives individuals the opportunity to carry out early testing before marriage, before, during and after pregnancy as well as before embryo transfer.

In addition to genetic diseases examinations, Genalive will offer hereditary consultations that enable individuals to take informed decisions in all matters that are related to their health and the health of their families and relatives, resulting in improving the health of the society and the quality of life.

The company will also directly contribute to providing many unprecedented benefits in the Kingdom’s health sector, such as the localization of genetic testing. This in turn will help reduce spending on laboratory services, reduce sending laboratory samples abroad, further enhancing the competencies of the Saudi cadres, and transferring advanced technologies from BGI Group to the Kingdom. This will also enhance the specialized genetic testing infrastructure, contribute to the prevention of hereditary diseases and provides a database for the Saudi society, which will boost the efficiency and accuracy of disease diagnosis as well as enhancing huge data and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Genalive Medical Co. was established through a strategic partnership between Arabian International Healthcare Holding Co. (Tibbiyah) and BGI Health (HK) Co. Ltd., Al-Amoudi added.

The company uses Omics, which is one of the most important techniques used for prevention of diseases. Omics techniques allow the company to study the the genetic composition and measure and classify the various biological molecules in order to assess the human condition in healthy and unhealthy situations. Omics techniques also contribute to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, as well as enabling the diagnostic medicine.