011 The Future of Healthcare (Spencer Wells Interview)

Spencer Wells was instrumental in developing many of these trends. As an Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic, he was an early innovator of using genographic kits — studying DNA from people all across the world to map out the migrations of mankind’s earliest ancestors. Spencer went on to found a company called Insitome, which also gives consumers insight about their genome and their heritage.

In an exclusive interview with 7investing, Spencer describes the permanent changes that have taken place in the Direct-to-Consumer genomics industry and explains how genomics is now catching on with hospitals. He shares his thoughts about the technology behind DNA sequencing, the personalized medicine movement in pharmaceuticals, and the importance of the ethical debate in shaping the future for gene editing.

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Interview timestamps:

0:00 – Introduction: Spencer’s Indonesian Adventure

6:25 – Insitome: Changes in the Direct-to-Consumer Genomics market

11:18 – “The Disruption of Health Care”: Genetics Meets the Clinic

17:32 – An Ethical Debate: The use of Genomics and Gene Editing

23:40 – Genomic Sequencing Technology: Next-Generation Sequencing vs Nanopores

33:08 – Personalized Medicine: What will this Mean for the Drugmakers?

38:28 – National Geographic Takeaways: The Earliest Migrations of Mankind

42:26 – Spencer’s Favorite Musicians and Concerts

45:30 – What Individual Investors Should be Watching: CRISPR

Publicly-traded companies mentioned in this interview include Illumina, Roche, and Pacific Biosciences. 7investing’s advisors and/or guests may have positions in the companies that are mentioned.

This interview was originally recorded on May 29, 2020 and was first published on June 2, 2020.