12 Dec Interview with L. Staton Noel III of Panaceutics
As Co-founder and CSO, Staton uses his 25 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research to help create products for an individual’s health and wellness needs. Staton holds a BS in Biochemistry, MS in Gerontology, and an MBA, and has authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers. As a molecular pharmacologist at GlaxoSmithKline, Staton developed broad technical expertise and therapeutic expertise while leading multiple drug discovery projects. Read his full bio.
Interview with L. Staton Noel III of Panaceutics
Q: What need is "Panaceutics" addressing?
A: One of the key barriers to making precision/personalized wellness and healthcare products is the contradictory goal of manufacturing individualized products on a large scale. Meeting demand for personalized products can be expensive and logistically challenging. For many years large manufacturing facilities have been geared up to offer economies of scale via mass production. There is a real need for small batch manufacturing that can produce products for smaller segments in a rapid, scalable, and economical manner.
In addition to the manufacturing challenge, consumers/patients need and want products that are simple, personalized and pleasant to use. These factors will encourage compliance and adherence to their increasingly complex healthcare needs.
Q: What are the products and/or services Panaceutics offers/develops to address this need? What makes Panaceutics unique?
A: Panaceutics uses its patented, automated, small batch manufacturing technology to rapidly and on- -demand produce products based on an individual’s imputed data. Using cloud-based personalization software tools, or formulas created by our healthcare partners, our automation can produce a 30-day supply in 2-3 minutes. Using a “pill free” smoothie in a pouch delivery format, Panaceutics combines a personalized formulation of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients into a nutritional wellness product that is delivered directly to the consumers/patients house. In addition, Panaceutics is developing combination pharmaceutical products that will simplify and personalize drug delivery of generic medicines to patients, managing complex chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease.
Q: What is your role at Panaceutics and what excites you about your work?
A: I am the co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Panaceutics. I am really excited to be part of this new era where we are actually going to use technologies and data to deliver precision healthcare. In other words, we are treating people as the individuals they are, and instead of continuing to use generalized recommendations and results from population studies for treatment approaches.
Q: When thinking about Panaceutics and the domain Panaceutics is working in, what are some of the recent breakthroughs that are propelling the field forward and how will they impact healthcare?
A: Since we are working in both personalized nutrition and precision medicine, the role that the consumer plays in healthcare is really shaping the market. Consumers are more engaged in in managing their healthcare needs beginning with prevention to complex chronic disease care. Consumers use of digital platforms to integrate information about lifestyle, having access to their genetic information, and ability to order biomarker test on their own makes them a key driver to getting products and solutions that are more individualized.
Q: What are the short-term challenges that Panaceutics and its peers are facing?
A: As with any new innovation that comes to market, bridging the chasm from the “early adopters” to the “early majority” is the next hurdle. Changing healthcare approaches from a system of medical professionals trained to work under slow established guidelines to an industry that can quickly incorporate the rapid amounts of data being generated is a barrier that needs to be addressed. In is my belief that the consumers/patients will not be willing to wait for years of studies and validation before they will demand new products and service based on the latest data.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with the PMWC audience?
A: Panaceutics believes that leveraging information and practices from the best partners is a key to producing and delivering meaningful healthcare products to consumers/patients and we are continuing to develop these partnerships as we grow.
