[Zero] Variant Bio has spent the last several years scouring the world for genetic outliers in human beings. It found a small group of "outlier humans" with special variations in their DNA that could affect disease risk and eventually be used to develop medicines to improve human life. Founded in New York, the 10-person startup's lead geneticist Stephane Castel is focusing on the DNA of Sherpa people living at high altitudes in Nepal and Himalayas. Their unique genetic characteristics allow them to live healthy lives with blood oxygen levels far below what most humans need. Most people in high altitudes suffer from hypoxia, which is the absence of enough oxygen in the tissues to sustain bodily functions.
"They [Sherpa people] don't suffer any ill health effects," Castel told Bloomberg."It's incredible."
Castel's team is betting on the sequencing of Sherpa DNA, which could lead to discoveries of new superior traits that would aid in the development of novel medicines and therapies to improve metabolism, eyesight, and immune response.
It's up to Variant's software and scientific analysis to find breakthrough genetic coding in Sherpa DNA, Castel said it could take several years to develop drugs and therapies based on the results.