By Sheldon Baker05.21.24
Dr. Jeff Chen, MD, MBA is a physician-scientist on a mission to close the proof gap between natural products and pharmaceuticals. As the co-founder and CEO of Radicle Science, he has been leading some of history’s largest studies on dietary supplements. Previously, he was the founder and executive director of a UCLA research center where he led groundbreaking clinical trials on natural products. Chen was selected to serve as an industry mentor for the National Institutes of Health Innovation CORPs and named a Globalshaper by the World Economic Forum. He has given keynote talks for the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, National Academies of Science, TED Conference, California Medical Association, American Bar Association, and others. Following a BS at Cornell, Chen earned his MD and MBA concurrently at UCLA, where he was awarded a David Geffen Fellowship.
Health E-Insights (HEI): What were your thoughts about launching Radicle Science?
Chen: While in medical school, I was deeply troubled by the pharmaceutical model of medicine. Seeking more effective and affordable treatments, I founded and led a pioneering natural products research center at UCLA. However, I became frustrated with the slow, costly trials and their limitations.
Meanwhile, Pelin Thorogood, a tech CEO turned philanthropist, was funding innovative natural medicine trials, including one of the largest autism trials using botanical products. As a data expert, she realized that small-scale, homogeneous studies would never achieve her goal of personalized medicine for all.
When physical clinical trials came to a halt during COVID, I knew it was time to modernize scientific research. Pelin and I joined forces to fix a broken healthcare system that largely ignored natural medicines. We recognized that AI, virtualization, and the widespread use of digital health devices could fundamentally transform the future of clinical evidence for dietary supplements. This vision led to the launch of Radicle Science, driven by our shared mission to revolutionize healthcare and make personalized, evidence-based wellness treatments accessible to all.
HEI: What is your approach to performing clinical trials and does it differ from other organizations providing this service?
Chen: As a public benefit organization (B-Corp), we’ve revolutionized the cost, speed, and scale of clinical trials by more than tenfold. Our approach to clinical trials sets a new gold standard, exceeding even the stringent FTC guidelines required for dietary supplement companies to make product claims.
We conduct all our trials with the highest scientific rigor, employing gold-standard, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, IRB-approved protocols. Through our innovative crowdsourced, virtual, direct-to-consumer approach, we conduct some of the largest clinical trials in history on supplements. Our studies involve a minimum of 500 participants each, making them 10 times larger than typical supplement trials. This large scale ensures greater chance of statistical significance in the primary outcome, and also allows us to power and study several simultaneous secondary health outcomes.
Fast Company recognized Radicle Science as a “World Changing Idea,” highlighting our leadership “at the frontier of generating clinical evidence with its ‘proof-as-a-service’ platform, not only faster and more affordable, but also includes diverse populations to increase health equity.”
In 2023, we studied more Americans than all FDA drug-approval trials combined. We’ve studied nearly 50,000 participants since 2021. Our studies include 20% minority participants, a stark contrast to the 3.95% minority inclusion rate in U.S. randomized controlled trials over the past 25 years (source: Mayo Clinic).
Additionally, 54% of our study participants are female and 20% are from rural areas, a notable departure from traditional trial demographics predominantly consisting of males in metropolitan areas. By prioritizing diversity, affordability, and speed, Radicle Science is transforming clinical research, making it more inclusive and accessible while maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity.
HEI: In a way, you're offering modern science to the nutraceutical industry. Talk about your Radicle Proof Engine.
Chen: Our Radicle Proof Engine is an AI-powered platform that delivers evidence-based health and consumer insights to the nutraceutical industry with unprecedented speed, affordability, and scale. Serving every stage, science, regulatory, and marketing, our platform supports formulations, optimal dosages, claims, retailer trust, targeted marketing, and consumer loyalty.
Leveraging advanced AI algorithms, the Radicle Proof Engine generates predictive insights that anticipate health outcomes and identify key research signals. This accelerates product development and optimization, leading to more effective and personalized wellness solutions. Our platform empowers brand leaders to unlock valuable insights from hidden data, driving informed decisions and accelerating R&D breakthroughs. We collect precise data from large cohorts of diverse Americans, capturing a wide range of health outcomes, demographic and behavioral data. This analysis uncovers the nuanced interactions between supplements and personalized wellness.
In addition, the consumer sentiment insights we collect are invaluable for targeted marketing and customer loyalty. By combining these elements, the Radicle Proof Engine enhances scientific credibility, accelerates innovation, and promotes personalized wellness solutions.
HEI: Do you envision AI further uncovering the effectiveness of supplement ingredients?
Chen: Absolutely, and it already is with the Radicle Proof Engine. We designed our large-scale, standardized trials to harness the power of AI. By analyzing large datasets, AI tests hypotheses and identifies hidden correlations, revealing how various factors, including genetic, geographic, socioeconomic, environmental, behavioral, or cultural differences influence the efficacy and side effects of supplements.
These insights drive targeted research to anticipate patient health outcomes, explore additional potential signals, accelerate and refine protocol design, and enable precision targeting. The philosophy that all data is good data is central to our approach. While there's a tendency to prioritize positive outcomes and statistically significant findings, every data point, regardless of its initial appearance, is valuable and offers potential insights, especially when AI is applied.
Embracing this notion drives scientific discovery forward in remarkable ways. This data-driven decision-making will lead to breakthroughs in research and development, personalized marketing, and progress towards precision medicine. AI's ability to analyze vast amounts of data is pivotal in advancing our understanding and application of supplement ingredients, ultimately enhancing health outcomes for diverse populations.
HEI: Of all the studies you have performed, which one or two stands out the most and has opened your eyes?
Chen: One is our clinical trial on MDsleep, which was formulated by four physicians from Cedars-Sinai, the top-ranked hospital in California in 2024. In a study of 620 participants, MDsleep demonstrated statistically significant improvements in sleep quality, anxiety, stress, and overall wellbeing compared to a placebo. This trial highlights how large-scale studies possess the statistical power to effectively test primary, secondary, and tertiary outcomes.
Our study for the ingredient supplier FloraWorks provided the first clinical proof of its sleep ingredient's efficacy. This groundbreaking trial tested various dosages, enabling FloraWorks to optimize the balance between effectiveness and ingredient cost. To our knowledge, this was one of the largest clinical trials ever conducted on a sleep supplement. These studies underscore the importance of large-scale, rigorous clinical trials in providing robust, actionable insights that drive innovation in the supplement industry.
HEI: Are there any trends you have seen starting to take place?
Chen: “Efficacy and scientific credibility are the most important factors to consumers when selecting wellness products,” according to McKinsey’s 2024 Future of Wellness Study. This trend is also evident among retailers, investors, and regulators, who are increasingly demanding rigorous scientific proof. Additionally, the report identifies AI-driven personalization as a key trend shaping the wellness industry. This is particularly exciting as it aligns directly with Radicle Science’s mission and core competencies. These trends highlight the growing emphasis on evidence-based, personalized wellness solutions. They underscore the importance of our work in advancing the credibility and effectiveness of wellness products in the market.
HEI: As an organization gets larger there can be a tendency for the inspiration to be dampened. As one of the founders, how do you keep this from happening?
Chen: From our first job postings, we drew inspiration from legendary Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton: “The work will be hard, and safety is not guaranteed, but if we succeed, we will permanently alter the course of medicine for all future generations.” We believe that continued inspiration for our audacious journey comes from the entire crew, from interns to executives.
Our culture of exploration and experimentation encourages everyone to express their ideas, no matter how unconventional. Some of our best ideas come from our weekly all-hands-on-deck gatherings and our “Wouldn’t it be Radicle if…” brainstorming sessions. Personally, I advocate for taking time off the grid to recharge and renew the Radicle vision (which I share in my TED talk). This is why we offer unlimited PTO for the entire team, sometimes stepping away from the desk is essential to appreciate the grand mission with which we are entrusted.
Sheldon Baker is a full-time freelance writer who covers health and wellness and other fun topics for Nutraceuticals World, Rodman Media, and other publications. He’s based in Northern California near Yosemite National Park, and enjoys exploring worldwide destinations, especially New York City, Mumbai, India, and Sydney, AU. He’s also happy to hang out at home with his wife and the many young foster children in their care. Follow him on Twitter @SCB3128 or send him an email at sbaker@bakerdillon.com.
Health E-Insights (HEI): What were your thoughts about launching Radicle Science?
Chen: While in medical school, I was deeply troubled by the pharmaceutical model of medicine. Seeking more effective and affordable treatments, I founded and led a pioneering natural products research center at UCLA. However, I became frustrated with the slow, costly trials and their limitations.
Meanwhile, Pelin Thorogood, a tech CEO turned philanthropist, was funding innovative natural medicine trials, including one of the largest autism trials using botanical products. As a data expert, she realized that small-scale, homogeneous studies would never achieve her goal of personalized medicine for all.
When physical clinical trials came to a halt during COVID, I knew it was time to modernize scientific research. Pelin and I joined forces to fix a broken healthcare system that largely ignored natural medicines. We recognized that AI, virtualization, and the widespread use of digital health devices could fundamentally transform the future of clinical evidence for dietary supplements. This vision led to the launch of Radicle Science, driven by our shared mission to revolutionize healthcare and make personalized, evidence-based wellness treatments accessible to all.
HEI: What is your approach to performing clinical trials and does it differ from other organizations providing this service?
Chen: As a public benefit organization (B-Corp), we’ve revolutionized the cost, speed, and scale of clinical trials by more than tenfold. Our approach to clinical trials sets a new gold standard, exceeding even the stringent FTC guidelines required for dietary supplement companies to make product claims.
We conduct all our trials with the highest scientific rigor, employing gold-standard, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, IRB-approved protocols. Through our innovative crowdsourced, virtual, direct-to-consumer approach, we conduct some of the largest clinical trials in history on supplements. Our studies involve a minimum of 500 participants each, making them 10 times larger than typical supplement trials. This large scale ensures greater chance of statistical significance in the primary outcome, and also allows us to power and study several simultaneous secondary health outcomes.
Fast Company recognized Radicle Science as a “World Changing Idea,” highlighting our leadership “at the frontier of generating clinical evidence with its ‘proof-as-a-service’ platform, not only faster and more affordable, but also includes diverse populations to increase health equity.”
In 2023, we studied more Americans than all FDA drug-approval trials combined. We’ve studied nearly 50,000 participants since 2021. Our studies include 20% minority participants, a stark contrast to the 3.95% minority inclusion rate in U.S. randomized controlled trials over the past 25 years (source: Mayo Clinic).
Additionally, 54% of our study participants are female and 20% are from rural areas, a notable departure from traditional trial demographics predominantly consisting of males in metropolitan areas. By prioritizing diversity, affordability, and speed, Radicle Science is transforming clinical research, making it more inclusive and accessible while maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity.
HEI: In a way, you're offering modern science to the nutraceutical industry. Talk about your Radicle Proof Engine.
Chen: Our Radicle Proof Engine is an AI-powered platform that delivers evidence-based health and consumer insights to the nutraceutical industry with unprecedented speed, affordability, and scale. Serving every stage, science, regulatory, and marketing, our platform supports formulations, optimal dosages, claims, retailer trust, targeted marketing, and consumer loyalty.
Leveraging advanced AI algorithms, the Radicle Proof Engine generates predictive insights that anticipate health outcomes and identify key research signals. This accelerates product development and optimization, leading to more effective and personalized wellness solutions. Our platform empowers brand leaders to unlock valuable insights from hidden data, driving informed decisions and accelerating R&D breakthroughs. We collect precise data from large cohorts of diverse Americans, capturing a wide range of health outcomes, demographic and behavioral data. This analysis uncovers the nuanced interactions between supplements and personalized wellness.
In addition, the consumer sentiment insights we collect are invaluable for targeted marketing and customer loyalty. By combining these elements, the Radicle Proof Engine enhances scientific credibility, accelerates innovation, and promotes personalized wellness solutions.
HEI: Do you envision AI further uncovering the effectiveness of supplement ingredients?
Chen: Absolutely, and it already is with the Radicle Proof Engine. We designed our large-scale, standardized trials to harness the power of AI. By analyzing large datasets, AI tests hypotheses and identifies hidden correlations, revealing how various factors, including genetic, geographic, socioeconomic, environmental, behavioral, or cultural differences influence the efficacy and side effects of supplements.
These insights drive targeted research to anticipate patient health outcomes, explore additional potential signals, accelerate and refine protocol design, and enable precision targeting. The philosophy that all data is good data is central to our approach. While there's a tendency to prioritize positive outcomes and statistically significant findings, every data point, regardless of its initial appearance, is valuable and offers potential insights, especially when AI is applied.
Embracing this notion drives scientific discovery forward in remarkable ways. This data-driven decision-making will lead to breakthroughs in research and development, personalized marketing, and progress towards precision medicine. AI's ability to analyze vast amounts of data is pivotal in advancing our understanding and application of supplement ingredients, ultimately enhancing health outcomes for diverse populations.
HEI: Of all the studies you have performed, which one or two stands out the most and has opened your eyes?
Chen: One is our clinical trial on MDsleep, which was formulated by four physicians from Cedars-Sinai, the top-ranked hospital in California in 2024. In a study of 620 participants, MDsleep demonstrated statistically significant improvements in sleep quality, anxiety, stress, and overall wellbeing compared to a placebo. This trial highlights how large-scale studies possess the statistical power to effectively test primary, secondary, and tertiary outcomes.
Our study for the ingredient supplier FloraWorks provided the first clinical proof of its sleep ingredient's efficacy. This groundbreaking trial tested various dosages, enabling FloraWorks to optimize the balance between effectiveness and ingredient cost. To our knowledge, this was one of the largest clinical trials ever conducted on a sleep supplement. These studies underscore the importance of large-scale, rigorous clinical trials in providing robust, actionable insights that drive innovation in the supplement industry.
HEI: Are there any trends you have seen starting to take place?
Chen: “Efficacy and scientific credibility are the most important factors to consumers when selecting wellness products,” according to McKinsey’s 2024 Future of Wellness Study. This trend is also evident among retailers, investors, and regulators, who are increasingly demanding rigorous scientific proof. Additionally, the report identifies AI-driven personalization as a key trend shaping the wellness industry. This is particularly exciting as it aligns directly with Radicle Science’s mission and core competencies. These trends highlight the growing emphasis on evidence-based, personalized wellness solutions. They underscore the importance of our work in advancing the credibility and effectiveness of wellness products in the market.
HEI: As an organization gets larger there can be a tendency for the inspiration to be dampened. As one of the founders, how do you keep this from happening?
Chen: From our first job postings, we drew inspiration from legendary Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton: “The work will be hard, and safety is not guaranteed, but if we succeed, we will permanently alter the course of medicine for all future generations.” We believe that continued inspiration for our audacious journey comes from the entire crew, from interns to executives.
Our culture of exploration and experimentation encourages everyone to express their ideas, no matter how unconventional. Some of our best ideas come from our weekly all-hands-on-deck gatherings and our “Wouldn’t it be Radicle if…” brainstorming sessions. Personally, I advocate for taking time off the grid to recharge and renew the Radicle vision (which I share in my TED talk). This is why we offer unlimited PTO for the entire team, sometimes stepping away from the desk is essential to appreciate the grand mission with which we are entrusted.
Sheldon Baker is a full-time freelance writer who covers health and wellness and other fun topics for Nutraceuticals World, Rodman Media, and other publications. He’s based in Northern California near Yosemite National Park, and enjoys exploring worldwide destinations, especially New York City, Mumbai, India, and Sydney, AU. He’s also happy to hang out at home with his wife and the many young foster children in their care. Follow him on Twitter @SCB3128 or send him an email at sbaker@bakerdillon.com.
