Have you ever wondered about your personal genetic makeup that orchestrate your hair type & curls? For the first time in the history of human genetics, Dr. Nedaa is answering this question! And she invented Curly Hair-on-ChipTM (CHO Chip Software and Application That People Needs.
Hair is our crowning beauty and a key feature of our personality that come in different types including Black curly and coily hair. For the first time in the history of human genetics, Apex invented Curly Hair-on-ChipTM invention at the intersection of human genetics and artificial intelligence (AI). The chip is software and its application that help Black people achieve the beauty they desire without the health risks. The chip will create a high-impact aesthetic market that modernize centuries-old products and styling techniques making a lasting difference to the underserved Black community.
Curly Hair-on-ChipTM kit (CHO Chip), has been invented to study individualized gene-based hair type classification using machine learning. The CHO Chip is designed to use pre-existing gene sequencing knowledge to provide key insight into the biology and aesthetics of Black hair by defining the outcome of the gene-receptor interaction within the Black hair follicle “microenvironment and their functional outcomes, i.e., Black hair type orchestration. This invention will be part of the high-growth aesthetic space and will have a long-term impact for the underserved Black women and men. Going from patented invention to product development; a Statement of Work (SOW) has been prepared by reputable and interested genomic Contract Research Organizations (CROs) in the USA.
Apex is planning to kickstart 2026 by creating Collaborative Black Hair Genetics AI Partnership, LLP and is searching for interested investors and philanthropists to develop and commercialized this landmark and long-term impact product.
The Black hair treatment and hair health market is a high growth aesthetic market with high unmet needs. This biologic discovery is an enduring landmark that will form part of African Ancestry history.
The ultimate goal is the development of a safe and effective precision treatment to relax curly hair from the roots (CurlRelaxTM), thus revolutionize curly haircare and hair health; rescue the curly hair shaft from harsh chemicals and modernize the current, centuries-old, high-maintenance and costly curly haircare routines.
This opportunity is the right product in the right time; being in the social media era where people are interested in enhancing their beauty and being part of the AI era in healthcare with increased investors’ appetite for an emerging high-value AI Biotech opportunity! Apex holistic solution is addressing a global high unmet need of the Black community aesthetics and health.
The story begins 25 years ago, while Dr. Nedaa was conducting research on the tiny smooth muscles that shapes human internal organs, and then link the hair follicle muscle to hair curling. My husband is a dermatologist, and that led me to the roots of hair curling mechanism; it’s a smooth muscle called the Arrector Pili, and we propose that its contractile fibers are under genetic control. My lucky finding was a published article describing the genes in question as “secreted” genes, present outside the cells into the surrounding tissue. By connecting the dots, she transforms curly hair treatment from the hair shaft to hair root and from consumer goods manufacturers to the biopharma aesthetic research footsteps; she invented and patented CHO Chip, a gene-based, AI-powered artificial neural network hair type classification; creating a new area of “aesthetic genetics”. This clinical observation hooks Dr. Nedaa to the field of genetics and artificial intelligence! The CHO Chip will open a new curly haircare market with emphasis on unmet market needs and improving the quality of life of the consumers. This was the most important feature of Apex 25 years research investment thesis.
Let me take you where everything begins and how we formulate a complete answer to revolutionize curly haircare!
Current Curly Hair Unmet Needs and Health Risks
Curly hair care routines are high maintenance according to the British Beauty Council reviewing an online survey conducted by Carra Lab (2023). with high unsatisfaction rate about current products.
The health risk associated with the harsh chemicals used is a global issue. The current styling trend of curly hair braids produce intense scalp tension which can lead to hair loss known as traction alopecia, braid itch and headache. This traction hair loss is epidemic within the Black population. The Black hair consumers are frustrated with the advice they’re getting and are tired of all easy haircare lies they’ve been fed. In addition, they are making suboptimal choices which cost them their health.
Current product innovations by adding new oils or natural components. There is a market gap and need for innovation
How was the CHO Chip invented?
Solving a Human Biology Jigsaw Puzzle
Apex started a gene function project to uncover which, how and when local genes in a curly hair follicle orchestrates the hair types and subtypes! Along the history of human genetics, this is the first time that a scientist ever thought of the local Black hair follicle microenvironment orchestration! So how it was built in the mind of a solo inventor?
I resemble my 25 years invention journey to billion-piece Jigsaw puzzle , each piece is analogous to finding the needle in a haystack! Along 25 years, Dr. Nedaa has assembled interlocking pieces of medical, biological and genetic science to reveal an iconic image of the individual’s unique genetic makeup. Then she uses AI machine learning technology to study gene interactions in the scalp tissue surrounding the hair follicle to uncover which, how and when the genes curves individual’s hair follicle and orchestrate the hair shaft type.
The Opportunity and Market Valuation: What Apex is Bringing to the Table
For the first time in the history of human genetics, Apex is bringing an aesthetic DNA test software and kit product that could change lives! Can we imagine the time and investment needed to bring similar invention from idea to market?
It is the right product for the right time! Let us describe the current investor appetite and market conditions: The Chan Zuckerberg (CZI’s) Biohub is leading a new era of AO-powered biology, conduct frontier research for understanding how cells operate, organize and work to understand why disease happens and how to correct it advancing human health. President Biden $50 million Moonshot Grant for Georgic Institute of Technology (2023) to build and Atlas for earlier cancer detection, with data on the public domain.
The Chai Discovery LLC company can be considered for Comparable Company Analysis valuation of our CHO Chip stage of development: Chai Discovery Biotech is a pre-money company backed by top investors including OpenAI. Chai Discovery builds frontier AI to predict and reprogram the interactions between biochemical molecules. Its mission is to transform biology from science into engineering. In 2025 they introduce Chai-2, which is the first AI system capable of reliably generating novel antibodies from scratch, based solely on target epitopes, without the need for extensive laboratory, The state-of-the-art Chai-2 platform can design drug-like antibodies against challenging targets with atomic precision. The company valuation reaches $1.3 billion following a series B funding round of $130 million announcement in December 2025.
And last, but not the least is the Berkus method for pre-market valuation that consider the metrics of sound idea, prototype, strategic relationship and quality management.
Apex CHO Chip invention fulfil almost all of the criteria of valuation as described above, and shown in the following figure. Apex plan is to develop the CHO Chip by creating founding The Collaborative Black Hair Genetics Partnership, LLP.
CHO Chip Development Plan Using CROs: Bringing Expertise & Credibility
Moving From Research to Reality
After the patent application was filed, Apex started to move forward with the CHO ChipTM development and manufacturing plan that make an impact. As the chip is AI-powered and data-driven, so initially we need to generate curly hair gene “data library.” Luckily, the genes to be tested are Wnt gene family “secreted” outside the cells and interact with Frizzled cell surface receptors! The data will serve as the input layer of an artificial neural network that recognize patterns, process information and make predictions. The output will be a gene-based individual hair type classification. An optional test will be using computer vision application, linking the gene hair type to a hair shaft image.
How to generate the data library? As in the pharma trend, Apex plan is to use a fully customized services of contract research organizations (CROs). Since the CHO Chip is based on a sound well defined biologic mechanism and have patent-pending status, it was easy to negotiate and agree with reputable genomic CROs in the USA. A Statement of Work (SOW) has been developed during 2025 and is updated for 2026.
Why choosing CRO services? This business collaboration will provide access to their state-of-art expertise and technology in a cost-efficient way, no overhead expenses, accelerated timelines, full customization to the project, scalability and their compliance with regulatory requirements. All this will lead to credibility in the development process and a product ready for marketing.
Who are the selected genomic CROs? We negotiated with the following Genomic CROs:
Singular Genomics System, Inc. in California, with a goal to maximize scientific value, control budget, and de-risk downstream modeling. The plan is to use their G4X platform that has been updated in collaboration with NVIDIA (2021). Negotiation started in 2025, and a customized Statement of Work (SOW) was developed, and has been updated for 2026. The study goal is to generate high-quality spatial gene expression data that will ultimately serve as input features for an artificial neural network. The plan is structured in two-phase study, initially is a gene-receptor interactions and signaling patterns in a limited number of hair follicle samples for a primary dataset of 2D spatial profiling. In phase 2 a spatial 3D (serial sections) reconstruction study to validate the key findings emerging from phase. These studies will generate a statistically robust spatial transcriptomic dataset and publication-quality figures. Further the project will need the gene study of larger number of samples to generate the library needed for the neural network.
SingulOmics Corporation, in New York to conduct further studies of the curly hair follicle and enriched the data library for the chip. SingulOmics is a specializing in genomic research and services, building on the unmatched experience developed at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Their mission is to provide services in spatial multiomics and analysis solutions to enable global biopharma and diagnostic companies to accelerate target discovery and biomarker development. Their SOW was developed in 2025.
Coming closer to the market, we are negotiating with a CRO company that is specialized in “impregnated silicon chip” to develop the customized Apex kit for direct-to-consumer testing kit. The kit will contain a tube filled with a preservative for sample collection and an instruction manual. The kit is to be mailed direct-to-consumer, to a clinic, or a hair salon.
20 Years Market Protection: Patenting the CHO Chip Invention
The CHO Chip patent application was filed early in 2025 in the United Stated Patent Office (USPTO) and was also filed internationally. A patent is a “tangible valuable asset that shows investors that you have a unique, industrially applicable invention with market exclusivity for 20 years.
Dr. Nedaa have 5 granted US patents. Her patents were granted from the first examination, indicating sound science, novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. She has a great experience in filing and executing a USPTO and international patents. Apex were using the intellectual property services of Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP, a well-regarded legal firm in Pittsburgh.
The tremendous effort and investment in the development of a new biomedical product requires market protection. Patents are the strategic business tool that provide market monopoly for 20 years and attract investment and monetize innovation through partnership or patent licensing.
Get Featured in USA Business Magazines and Scientific Journals
In the state of the art, the medical hypotheses are built by Big Pharma, renowned universities and research centers. Such a project spans over years, by transforming clinical observations, existing literature and theoretical knowledge into a specific, testable and falsifiable statement to create a predictive, concise hypothesis that guide future biomedicine product development.
Dr. Nedaa have built and published 2 medical hypotheses in late 2024, that forms the foundation of the CHO Chip invention! Initially they were published in the Preprint platform. Then she was invited to republish the first hypothesis in the American Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics in November 2024. Later, Dr. Nedaa were invited to appear as a Cover Story on the US Leaders Building America, Women in Biotech (January 2025) and Enterprise Wired magazine (January 2026).
How you can keep life work balance?
I keep a good and continuous contact with family and friend on social media. It gives me energy and optimism. It is great to be their coach.
I love to go outdoors, enjoying nature’s beauty and my hobby is close-up photography.
What is your advice to your peers?
When you have a great idea, by patient because bringing an idea to the real world takes much more than expected! Never give up!
About Dr. Nedaa Al Jasim
Dr. Nedaa is a medical doctor is the Founder and CEO of Apex Medical Device Design, LLC. She is a passionate inventor with a mission to revolutionize the Black hair care and health to make a lasting difference to the underserved Black community.
by unfolding the curly hair follicle gene function. Her critical thinking, insights and persistent efforts convert human gene knowledge into a gene-based AI-enabled software and the Curly Hair-on-Chip hair typing kit.
At a time when AI drives new era of pharma research and invention, she tapped into her potential to turn knowledge into actionable insight, unraveling gene function by deciphering every layer of genetic regulation and cell receptor behavior to provide key insight into the biology of hair beauty and health. By connecting the dots, the invention was moved from research to reality. With a persistent effort and refusing to quit in spite of difficulties and disappointments, she is learning to expand what she is capable of becoming.
The CHO Chip invention is closing the market gap in curly and coily hair care product development and science. It will open a new aesthetic scientific field and a new aesthetic biopharma market. This modernization of the market is highly needed, it will mimic the trend of aesthetic fillers and Botox that achieved unprecedented success. Dr. Nedaa have multiple granted USA patents and inventions. The latest CHO Chip scientific grounds and business vision was published.
