How Molecular Insights Are Predicting Future Health with Jim Kean, CEO of Molecular You

[00:00:01] This podcast is produced by Outcomes Rocket, your healthcare exclusive digital marketing agency. Outcomes Rocket exists to help healthcare organizations like yours to maximize their impact and accelerate growth. Visit outcomesrocket.com or text us at 312-224-9945.

[00:00:25] Hey everyone, Saul Marquez here with the Outcomes Rocket podcast. Just here on the street of San Francisco with Jim Kean. Hey, thanks for joining us, Jim. Yeah, you did. Jim is the CEO of Molecular You. They are changing the game in understanding your health. And to kick things off, Jim, why don't you tell us a little bit about the company?

[00:00:54] Yeah, so Molecular You is a leading molecular testing company. And so what we test are what's called the proteome and metabolome. And the reason why those data sets are so important, a lot of people think about the genome and think of that as a building with a master plan. But you haven't seen it built yet. When it gets built, it's composed of proteins and metabolites.

[00:01:17] So if you can measure your proteins and metabolites, that's the sum total of all your life influences for the past year or even prior years. So it's a fantastic readout of your system biology. Yeah, and so I had the chance to chat with Murdoch, your chief medical officer, actually last week. And he was sharing it's about those metabolic pathways that really open up insights beyond something like DNA, which is a still picture. Yeah, so DNA is possibility, right?

[00:01:47] But the possibility comes to life with your proteins and metabolites. And so if you can measure that, you can get a really accurate prediction of what's going to happen coming up for you in the next 12, 18, 24 months. So that's why it's so important to measure that. But then the other thing is you can also see what biological pathways in your body are functioning well and which ones aren't. Yeah, and that's where the insights come in. So we're doing insights and predictions here at JPM.

[00:02:14] What would you say is the most insightful and yet little known bit about what you guys do? Well, I would say that a lot of people confuse us with traditional blood diagnostics. And you need to step back and understand what those are used for. They are used by a doctor who has a hypothesis and he wants to confirm illness. So they're not terribly good at, say, predicting.

[00:02:40] Like, what if you feel pretty good right now, but underlying, deep down within you, you have things that are coming together that are going to emerge as disease in the next 12 months. Diagnostics won't pick those up. But this will? Yes. Love that. So we've been in market under international ISO certification. So we do have regulatory approval worldwide. Coming to the U.S., we have to get the U.S.-specific approvals.

[00:03:05] But one of our tasks last year to get ready for market entry was to locate a really high-quality molecular testing partner. And as part of that, when they transfer our technology to them, they actually, we gain regulatory approval as far as like CLIA, all the laboratory standards. Well, that's great to know and appreciate the clarification there. This isn't your first time running a company. What's your background? Well, this is my seventh startup. Has it always been in this space?

[00:03:35] I have a lifelong passion for the transformative ability of digital health. So since 1995, when I saw my first browser, I had thought, wow, you could transform healthcare by making it more streamlined or more accessible or more transparent. Well, that's outstanding. As you look at 2025, what would you say is a prediction of yours that people need to be thinking about? Well, I know there's been a lot of political turmoil.

[00:04:03] I was just at the FDA conference that they hold every year here at JPM. And the outgoing administration was there. And they talked about what's coming up. And I know there's apprehension and whatnot. You know, I'll stay away from politics. But I will say, I don't quite agree with some of the stated opinions of incoming people.

[00:04:23] But I will say the focus on prevention, being healthier, focus more on food, the things in the environment, and really prediction as well. Those are all really positive signs. So I'm kind of an optimistic person. So I'd like to take the good and see if we're going to go down that path. Now, for us specifically, last year was a huge amount of heavy lifting. So we had to get our lab transferred and stood up. We had to get our infrastructure in place.

[00:04:51] But I'm super excited that we're launching in January this month. That's awesome, man. Well, I've heard a lot of talk around the, I would say, forward-looking perspective on prevention. Yes. A lot of people talk about Dr. Oz. Yeah. And where his head is at on that. And I think we are definitely opposed for seeing some progress there and with that value-based care. Yeah.

[00:05:14] So the biggest blocker for value-based care, and we're going to be focusing on that in the next three years, is that what they're saying is, look, doctors, we're going to give you a fixed payout. And in return for that guaranteed payout, that's all you get. And you guarantee you're going to deliver the health of your patient population. So that means if they get a sicker-than-average population, they assume almost unlimited downside risk.

[00:05:42] So CMS has been really disappointed that only 5% of doctors accept value-based payment-type standards. And their goal right now is in the next five years, they want 50%. So how do they get there? Like 2030, right? Their 2030 goal? Yeah. How do you... So your biggest blocker is you have to reassure or give doctors tools that will accurately stratify the risk.

[00:06:05] And actually, it's an advantage because if you can say, I have a sicker-than-average population in my practice and can show them, they'll actually let you get higher payouts. So there's the opportunity. And if you didn't have a more accurate prediction in risk stratification, you could actually do things like sell them reinsurance so they wouldn't have any risk. So where's that tool come from? That's us.

[00:06:28] Because we do a holistic view of the patient's system biology over metabolic, cardiovascular, cognition, all those different things. And so we really think we're an ideal risk stratification tool. Well, I love that. So something for everybody listening and looking to make progress. Oh, it's gorgeous. This is like San Francisco. I hear... So everybody's telling me that this meeting is typically windy and lots of rain. And this is actually a good segue.

[00:06:57] What's the old Mark Twain saying? The coldest winter I've ever spent was December. December. Yeah, that's what I've heard. Yeah. So, all right. Shifting to JPM. So thank you for that prediction. Thanks for the insights. One of the fun things we're doing with these is really helping understand this JPM conference. For a lot of people, because it's invite only, they don't understand what to do, how to best leverage it. You've been coming to this since 1995. So give us the history.

[00:07:26] Tell us what the meeting's about. Why do you come? And maybe some tips for people to walk away with to really make this meeting work for them. Because the amount of people here, the quality of conversation is just incredible. Yeah. So this is... If you're in healthcare, this is something you need to have on your calendar every year. Because it's a great way of thinking about, this is how I'm going to kick off this year to 2025. And it happens every year. And it really sets the rhythm for the whole industry, I think.

[00:07:54] In 1995, there's a boutique investment bank called Hamburg and Quist. And they really got this going. And I was at one of the first, if not the first conference. And I was pretty consistent for 10 years. Hamburg and Quist got bought by JPMorgan. And so that's why it became JPM. And over time, not everybody could fit into the St. Francis Hotel. And it was really geared towards publicly traded large companies. Yeah. So pretty soon somebody started saying, well, let's do private companies.

[00:08:23] Let's do companies focused on nonprofits. Hey, NIH, let's do our conference here around that time. FDA. So pretty soon you have something like 50 different conferences. And myself, just to give an example, I started on Saturday with a virtual conference called InnovatorMD, which is a great conference. What's that one about?

[00:08:44] That one is doctors who are having a quasi startup review plus review of new applications. It's a tremendous conference. And Uli, their founder and lead, runs a fantastic one. No worries. Hey, were you with Dr. B. Porter? No. Yeah, just always an entrepreneur. Always an entrepreneur. Okay. Got it. Got it. Sunday, I went to the Searcy Conference. And that's the Regulatory Science Conference. And my wife says that bores people at parties. But it's actually fascinating.

[00:09:13] So this year is particularly good because they get all the present and past FDA commissioners there. And you can literally stand there and talk to them and listen to them go at it about like what are key issues to address. And then this year it's like the new administration's coming in. So what's that going to be like? So that's highly worthwhile just to get a temperature of the FDA. I then was pitching yesterday at the Tech Bio Conference. My chief scientist was at the Resi Conference.

[00:09:41] I have another one of my employees is at the Medicare Conference. You guys are dividing and conquering here. Yeah, and most of these are either free or a couple hundred bucks. So if you want high value, you can just pick your adventure. It's almost buffet style. And if there's a JPM guide now that literally has at least 50 plus different events between Saturday to Thursday. So who puts that guide out? Because I've seen a lot of guides from different companies. The one you're talking about comes from JPMs?

[00:10:10] No, JPM doesn't do that. JPM is kind of funny. They pretend like nobody else exists. That's funny. It's like they're the elephant and we're all the fleas on its back. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, I'd say Resi has a good summation of that. Oh, Resi does? Yeah. There's a PR company that does a great job with it as well. So I can send you a couple links. Okay, yeah, yeah. If you could send links, that'd be great. Because for folks wanting to make the most of it, including myself, this is my first year here.

[00:10:39] I feel like I did an average job this time around. I'm kind of happy. I'd like to be thrilled. So yeah. And then the receptions every night. Oh, okay. Those are have been amazing. Four or five or six rare Japanese whiskey last night combined with the chocolate tasting. That was fantastic. One of them was a dim sum night. Oh, that's pretty cool. I ended up at the MoMA. I was at the MoMA. It's a nice two-three last night. Did you? Oh, yeah.

[00:11:10] Folks, there you have it. Just an incredible summary there. Jim's going to share the JPM guide. Just different resources that you should check in. I mean, Jim, you're saying six months ahead, right? Start your planning in June. And take it day by day and say, all right, that sounds super interesting. Like I said, it's really high value. Like the Searcy Conference is free. Great. So you can really put together something that kicks your ear off. High value.

[00:11:35] And then the other hacks on this are a lot of people are flabbergasted at how expensive hotels are, but I stay over in Calhalla. Oh, where did you stay? Calhalla. Okay. Over on Auburn. But where's Calhalla? It's over by Golden Gate Bridge. Oh, okay. So small kind of 1960s style hotels. They look a little bit run down, but they're actually super comfortable. And there's a lot of restaurants there. And you get away from all the hubbub down here. And you probably spend a fraction on the hotel. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:12:02] Like I was looking, hotels were $850, $900, $1,500. I'm like paying $200 in Oakland. I got three two-bedroom, two-bath suites. And there were six of us. And they were basically $400 a night. Boom. Folks, that right there probably just, you made money listening to this podcast. So take advantage of that tip right there. Folks, Jim Keen, CEO of Molecular U with us today at the JPMorgan Health Conference. Man, such an incredible time to spend with you, Jim.

[00:12:33] Thanks for sharing everything you do. Where can people find out more about you and the crew? Oh, we're at molecularu.com. And if you want to get tested, send us a note and we'll put you on a list. Well, I'm- We're just rolling it out. I'm certainly on the list, Jim. And I'm grateful that you guys are doing what you do. We're back here at the Hilton where there's another meeting. So Jim, we'll conclude our chat here. But thanks for doing this. Yeah, my friend. This is awesome. Thank you.

[00:13:05] This podcast is produced by Outcomes Rocket, your healthcare exclusive digital marketing agency. Outcomes Rocket exists to help healthcare organizations like yours to maximize their impact and accelerate growth. Visit outcomesrocket.com or text us at 312-224-9945.