[DTx Asia] "Thyroid Disease That Required Blood Tests, Now Diagnose at Home"

Park Jaemin, CEO of Tyroscope
Introducing 'Glandi', a Thyroid Monitoring Solution
Diagnosing Disease Conditions with Heart Rate and Selfies

On the 9th, Park Jae-min, CEO of Tyroscope, is giving a presentation at the '1st DTx Asia' held at Novotel Ambassador in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Lee Chun-hee

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] There is a disease affecting 380 million patients worldwide. It is thyroid dysfunction, known to affect 5-7% of the population. Once diagnosed, patients must visit the hospital every three months for blood tests to monitor their current condition. During the intervals, it is difficult for both doctors and patients to accurately understand the patient’s status.

At the '1st DTx Asia' held on the 9th at Novotel Ambassador in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Park Jae-min, CEO of Tyroscope, who spoke as a presenter, suggested digital healthcare as a way to address these unmet needs.

CEO Park introduced his company’s developed product, 'Glandy,' as the "world’s first digital monitoring solution for thyroid diseases." Thyroid dysfunction requires measuring thyroid hormone levels through blood tests for diagnosis. However, it is difficult to detect the disease before symptoms become severe, and even after diagnosis, regular blood tests are necessary to monitor progress.

Park stated, "Since thyroid disease is a type of chronic illness, it is necessary to check the progression of the disease and the occurrence of complications," adding, "However, current treatments rely solely on the condition at the time of testing for doctors to prescribe treatment." He also pointed out the burden on patients in terms of time and cost, noting that in the U.S., patients may wait up to 66 days, spend about 30 minutes traveling to the hospital, wait 72 minutes there, pay around 400,000 KRW, and then have to return several days later to receive their results.

To solve this situation, Tyroscope utilized 'heart rate' as a biomarker. Since excessive secretion of thyroid hormones causes an increase in resting heart rate, they measure heart rate using smartwatches and other devices, and if sudden changes in heart rate are observed, the patient is alerted. However, CEO Park emphasized, "We do not intend to completely replace blood tests," adding, "Our goal is to assist early diagnosis and monitoring to prevent disease worsening and to help patients avoid unnecessary blood tests."

Introduction image of Tyroscope's 'Glandi' (Photo by Tyroscope)

Tyroscope also developed a digital early diagnosis method for 'thyroid eye disease.' This disease causes swelling around the eyes, eyeball protrusion, and eye movement disorders due to thyroid abnormalities, and if untreated early, can lead to serious sequelae such as blindness. Park stressed the seriousness, saying, "However, in the early stages, it is often mistaken for an allergic reaction, causing many to miss the 'golden time' for treatment," and "Once symptoms worsen, patients must undergo major ophthalmic surgery or take expensive medication costing $150 per dose."

CEO Park explained that thyroid eye disease was previously diagnosed through an ophthalmologist’s examination but can now be diagnosed with a single 'selfie.' He said, "We developed a predictive AI system that mimics the ophthalmologist’s diagnostic process," adding, "Based on patient photos taken with a smartphone, it predicts disease occurrence with about 87% accuracy compared to a doctor’s diagnosis."

Park envisions developing Glandy beyond diagnosis into a comprehensive patient management solution. He said, "There is a relationship between lifestyle habits and symptoms in thyroid disease patients," and that preparations are underway to provide self-management coaching, including assistance with medication adherence. Tyroscope aims to complete ongoing global clinical trials and launch in the U.S. in 2024 and Germany in 2025.