A growing number of companies offer the enticing promise of optimizing one’s health by tapping into powerful technology they say can map out what diseases a person is susceptible to and possibly catch them early on. Movements like biohacking and longevity have become trendy and controversial, not least because of how expensive these services are.
Radence, a precision medicine startup, is joining the space—though it doesn’t identify with mainstream labels.
Executives are quick to explain that the company is not a longevity clinic, nor is it a testing or research company. It is “concierge science,” using testing as a means to collect targeted data—then, those data are used in an integrated way to support care delivery. Radence combines genomics, advanced blood panels, imaging, wearables, microbiome analysis and other factors like medical history to create a personalized health and risk profile that can inform treatment plans.
Under the leadership of Chief Medical Officer Julie Chen, M.D., Radence takes on what it calls a rigorous, evidence-based, multipronged approach.
To start, Radence maps each member’s inherited risks through genomic analysis. Then, it assesses their current biological state through advanced proteomic, metabolomic and imaging data. Finally, it tracks functional measures over time to understand how all of those perform in real life.
“Together, this creates a truly comprehensive, 360-degree view of health—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next,” Chen told Fierce Healthcare.
Radence says it is effective because it can establish a patient’s clinical baseline and detect subtle patterns and risks before symptoms even appear. The goal is to help patients and their care teams act early to prevent chronic disease. While Radence facilitates testing and analysis, it does not itself own any of the equipment and instead partners with medtech vendors.
Radence experts analyze each member’s data and work with their care teams on developing a treatment plan, which is updated based on ongoing monitoring and new research results. The goal is to collaborate with members’ existing clinical partners without adding unnecessary complexity to the system or requiring them to invest in cutting-edge diagnostics themselves. This helps cut through the “noise” in the precision medicine space, per Chen.
“Clinicians often start out skeptical,” Chen acknowledged. “Many have seen companies make lofty promises without the scientific rigor to substantiate their claims. Once they understand how Radence partners with physicians and the depth of our scientific validation, that skepticism quickly shifts to curiosity and enthusiasm. We’ve seen specialists, in particular, get excited about the level of precision and data they can now access. Many have even asked us to formalize clinician education series so they can better integrate these insights into patient care.”
At only a few months old, though built on years of R&D, Radence has already landed a partnership with Mount Sinai. It currently serves about three dozen members. Chen said Radence is purposeful and selective with patients it takes on, based on the likelihood Radence can make a true impact for them. The number of people who could afford Radence is certainly limited: An annual commitment runs at $50,000, per member, plus a one-time $50,000 enrollment fee per family. Executives say the high cost is a way to get the startup off the ground, similar to how new therapies that hit the market are priced high to make up for the cost of R&D. The goal is for the price to decrease over time.
Radence executives believe academic research institutions and life sciences companies alike will be interested in what it has to offer. They are exploring possibly serving labor unions or federal employees down the line, because these payers recognize the value of keeping members healthy as early as possible. Even though patients often change insurers, commercial plans also have an incentive to consider an investment like Radence.
“Every taxpayer should care about early disease detection and interception because the sickest years are also the most expensive,” David Medvedeff, Radence CEO, told Fierce Healthcare. “Most of those costs hit after 65, when Medicare picks up the bill. Even if patients change insurers, the burden ultimately lands on all of us. Keeping people healthier for longer isn’t just good medicine, it’s good economics.”
So far, Radence focuses on four areas: cardiovascular and neurovascular health; cancer risk and detection; neurological and cognitive health; and metabolic and hormonal health. It hopes to expand to additional disease areas in the future. Radence’s Clinical Advisory Board brings together internationally recognized experts in cardiology, neurology, genetics, biomedical engineering and data science.
The startup is backed by RA Ventures, the healthcare incubator of RA Capital Management. Radence is also supported by the RA Ventures team of more than 50 M.D.s and Ph.D.s as well as by the physicians and scientists of RA Capital's internal research division, TechAtlas, which analyzes scientific and clinical data from around the world.