Reasoning, the power to question and search answers makes human beings different from other mammals. As a race, we have always been autodidacts and found solace in learning, growing and teaching. Why and how has it always been important and has invoked us to find answers to the unknown? The reason for this inquisitiveness ranges from personal to social, but what is important is the fact that the journey to the truth has mostly ended in benefitting the society.
It was with this curiosity and a quest for answers to unanswered questions that Phronetik was founded. What triggered the quest was a simple question, “How and why does one get a disease without any genetic predisposition, no family history or adverse lifestyle behaviors?” Phronetik was started to try and find answer these and other questions. The company’s name is an amalgamation of two Greek words: phronesis (wisdom) and kinetic (to move) which justifies its quest to leverage technology and innovation to improve health care, as they move forward with wisdom.
A biotechnology company, Phronetik advances precision medicine by leveraging OMICS data, artificial intelligence and informatics to improve diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. It also supports translational research with particular interest in studies that encompass precision medicine. Over years the company has been trying to answer the questions with the science behind genetic predisposition followed by epigenetic studies and population health research. The diagnosis and interpretation of data and calculation to determine the diseases has become the central focus of the company.
Never say Never
Quitting is unacceptable for Tania Martin-Mercado, President & CEO, Phronetik, and the idea reverberates throughout the company, its employees and its workings. She started the company in 2013 with modest beginnings, no outside venture capital or influx of seed money and has toiled hard to bring it where it stands today. When asked what keeps her going, she answered, “I have questioned my sanity from time to time. Then I remember why I’m doing this. Maybe, though the efforts of the Phronetik team, its University partners and industry collaborators, we help a family predict and prevent the onset of disease.” She continues to voice her thoughts, “We prevent a death. We improve quality of care at a practice and quality of life for a patient. We provide answers where there were previously none. I believe in what we are doing wholeheartedly.”
Spearheaded by its leader and aptly supported by its staff, Phronetik has been designing and re-designing its offerings and focus, starting with clinical trial services and support and broadening to sequencing and genetic services. It now partners with a number of CAP/CLIA accredited laboratories where it offers the services of genomic testing such as diagnostic testing, predictive genetic tests, pharmacogenomics, and carrier testing. This OMICS data is then processed to offer next-generation sequencing services and data analysis. It also offers technical support to the solutions. These professional services include strategic planning, technology roadmaps, HIPAA risk, security assessments and more. Its managed services, SupportDR™, is an IT offering perfect for providing technical support for clinical trials, private practices and other health care organizations. Specific SupportDR™ services include public portals, asset and inventory management, system monitoring and maintenance, 24x7x365 support, remote end-user support and more.
The company is committed to its mission to provide sustainable, innovative, transformative and disruptive technologies and services to support clinical trials, translational research, and patient-driven outcomes. It offers a holistic approach to translational and clinical research. The company being anti-silo believes in informational transparency and necessary (compliant) data exchange to achieve its goals of advanced scientific discovery, reproducible studies with data to back them up and accurate, accessible data for clinicians to improve healthcare delivery. Phronetik credits its power to remain flexible and adaptable to the needs of the clients as the key to its towering stature over competitors. It helps in offering a wide array of services to support the client’s initiatives.
Phronetik’s effort, as it strides along the path to realizing its values of “Good science, good data, excellence in innovation, and integrity in all we do”, has received recognition and accolades in many leading magazines. Phronetik serves the government, life science, hospitals, ambulatory/private practices, pharmaceutical, non-profit, and community-based organizations.
The company values its employees like its customers and doesn’t hesitate in going that extra mile to keep them motivated, innovative and in love with their work. With the exception of lab work, employees are allowed to work from home, providing Phronetik access to the best talent in data science and biotech regardless of geographical location. Employee development is highly encouraged and they are given an environment where they have the freedom to be creative and think outside the box.
Preparing Today, for a Brighter Tomorrow
The healthcare and biotechnology landscape is constantly changing, and Phronetik’s journey continues. It opines this journey as an opportunity and is the passion that the company thrives on. It entails the discovery of ways it can be a part of improving health care while contributing to the larger body of scientific knowledge. It keeps an eye on the other developments happening worldwide, from new vaccines to new human cell structures. Innovations which help population and individual patients induce a sense of pride and self-worth in them for being a part of this industry. The management and employees keep up with trends by reading publications like Science Daily and Gene, Engineering & Biotechnology News. The Phronetik team also stays in touch with groups and organizations in the life science and biotechnology space news coming from individual practices, hospitals, ambulatory centers, and mental health practices to spark ideas to work upon.
Phronetik aims at having its own CAP/CLIA accredited biotechnology laboratory in the near future. That is a very important goal. Releasing an artificial intelligence engine for point-of-care diagnostics is also on the charts. The company strives to learn from failure and move ahead with double the zeal. Phronetik will continue to grow and adapt to the ever-changing science, technology, and healthcare space.
