About usGeference helps customers stay healthy using cutting edge personal genome analysis technology. We let our customers prevent from the diseases for which they have critical genetic risks. Not only providing genetic risk of diseases, but we also provide plan on overall life-style guidelines including diet, exercise, etc and personalized disease screening plan.Why do we provide analysis of genetic risk on diesease with these life managing plan? Most diseases are complex diseases including nearly all types of cancers, diabetis, heart disease, etc. Complex diseases are not caused by genetic factor or life factor alone. Both affect equally to the onset of diseases. It means even if you have genetic risk for a disease, you can prevent from it by controlling the other half disease factors, life factors, or vice versa. Therefore, most of diseases are preventible.We want you prevent from preventible diseases. And this is not just a dream. We now have a low cost personal genome sequencing technology and powerful genome analysis information technology with advanced IT platform. The cost to sequence your genome is rapidly decreasing and it will be less than $1000 in a year or two. Yes, this is revolution. In near future, we can provide complete lifetime personal heathcare plan for cost equivalent to just one year insureance fee. We are going to make it with innoviative products. So stay with us to be healthy.
Geference Team
  • Changwon KeumCEO, Cofounder

    Changwon is currently CEO and product developer at Geference. He was fascinated by bioinformatics since he found it around 2000 when the draft version of Human Genome Project was completeted. From the time, he has been worked on the field of bioinformatics. He thought personal genome revolution could change every aspect of our world especially the medicine and healthcare system. Now sequencing whole genome of a person costs just around $1000. He thinks it's the right time to move on to innovate the world. And this is why he's here at Geference. He tries to develop innovative low cost personalized healthcare information system based on personal genome information analysis so as to help people stay healthy whereever they are, whatever they do, or however rich they are.

  • Jehwan ParkCSO, Cofounder

    Jehwan is responsible for scientific research and deveopment as CSO( Chief Science Officer) of Geference. He graduated from the department of biology, Seoul National University in 2005. He then worked at game developing company. But he quickly returned to school to pursuit his academic curiosities. After the completion of masters degree in bioinformatics at Seoul National University in 2008, he worked as a researcher at Macrogen and KOBIC( Korean Bioinformatics Center ). He believe personal genome and high-end information technology combined to improve many aspects of current medicine and overcome seems-to-be incurable diseases.

  • Jung Hoon WooCofounder

    Jung Hoon founded Geference Inc. with a mission to make people's lives better with genomics technology. In 7 years experience in both academia and industry, he has been involved in various projects especially for developing genome-based commercialized prognostic or diagnostic kits. At Geference, his primary focus is developing core services of Geference as well as core cultures of Geference. He is also responsible for the general management of Geference. He graduated from Seoul National University in 2005 with B.S in Chemical Engineering and in 2007 with M.S. in Bioinformatics. He is now pursuing his doctorate in Columbia University Department of Biomedical Informatics.

History
  • 2008May

    Changwon met Jung Hoon in the bootcamp. It is worth noting statistically that the probability that two bioinformaticians, having a very similar perspective on happiness and life, meet each other by chance in the bootcamp is at least 10^-100. They met, they talked, and finally decided to do something together, which was publishing a research paper since they were graduate students at that time.

  • 2009Jun

    Jung Hoon & Changwon published a paper named "GEFERENCE". GEFERENCE: Reference Database for Construing Personal Genome Expression CSREA Press (2009) , p434-440. They presented their vision in BIOCOMP 2009 conference held in Las Vegas, USA. It was the first time that the name, Geference, was announced to the world.

  • 2010April

    Geference Inc. was finally founded. Jung Hoon & Changwon started operation in the first Geference headquarters in a small apartment in Seoul.

  • 2011Jan

    We published another big genome research paper based on collaboration with Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) Breast Cancer Center. Common genetic variants associated with breast cancer in Korean women and differential susceptibility according to intrinsic subtype. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 May;20(5):793-8. The result soon became a patent "Method, Composition, and Kit for Predicting the Risk of Developing Breast Cancer " (Korea Patent No. 10-1012601).

    May

    We published a Korean translated edition of "$1000 Genome". The book soon became the KYOBO (the largest and most famous book store in South Korea) best seller in science category.

    Aug

    "Geference-Breast", which is a genetic analysis service for estimating breast cancer risk, was developed and got positive responses from Breast Cancer Center in Seoul National University Hospital. The service was based on the research paper we published in Jan, 2011.

  • 2012Mar

    BRCA manager, an iPad app BRCA manager - GEFERENCE that can allow users to measure their breast cancer risk and to reduce the risk proactively, was released on the app store. User can easily follow a visual guide to complete self-breast exam which takes a few minutes.

    May

    iPhone version of BRCA manager BRCA manager mobile - GEFERENCEwas also released on the app store.

    Jun

    One of the Geference founding members, Jehwan, officially joined Geference and put his full-time efforts after he finished his duty of alternative military service.Jehwan brought out a collaboration with Breast Cancer Center in SNUH on identifying driver mutations in Korea Breast Cancer population.Geference moved into a nice office building near Teheran Valley, where the number of high-tech companies operate their business.

    Nov

    Geference forges a strategic partnership with one of the largest pharmaceuticals in Korea.