Expert’s Speak: A Mindblowing Interview with Paul D. Slowey , Founder & CEO Of Oasis Diagnostic Corporation

About Our Guest

The founder and the CEO of Oasis diagnostic Corporation and the subsidiary company Bamberg Marsh LLC founded in 2002 each are pioneers in the area of oral Suite Diagnostics and testing.

 Dr Paul’s background is in organic chemistry after being awarded his Doctorate from the University of Newcastle, that time in the UK he spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow in Canada and then five years in the pharmaceutical industry with Sterling drug he has over 32 years of experience in the clinical Diagnostic and Pharmaceutical Industries.

Combined over the years he has held positions as Director of International Sales and Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of sales and marketing for companies that were the original Pioneers in the development of saliva diagnostic rapid tests for infectious diseases and oral fluid collection devices.

He has extensive experience in structuring strategic alliances and license agreements with both startup and Fortune 500 companies

Dr Paul has 30 Publications in peer review journals, 15 issued patents, and 12 file patent applications and he has made a number of oral presentations at Key scientific symposia on a variety of subjects including HIV diagnosis nucleic acid testing the status of oral sweet testing the Japanese Healthcare business and thyrotropin receptor antibody assays for the diagnosis of graves disease.

1. What Was Your Inspiration Behind Getting Into The Field Of Saliva?

I reflect on my career and feel how it’s been filled with twists and turns that I never expected. I never expected to get a PhD. I never expected to leave the UK, which was my home. I had taken the pathway that I thought was most appropriate for me at each fork in the road. I was working for a company in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the Diagnostics business and I was headhunted by Saliva Diagnostic Systems, a startup in Vancouver, Washington.

And so I became the Chief Operating Officer of Saliva Diagnostic Systems in a short space of time. But unfortunately Saliva Diagnostic Systems ran out of money and I moved to Orisher Technologies. I helped license the peptides for the OraQuick HIV Test, which is now the only over-the-counter HIV test. I sold the first order of 250,000 units to the Centers for Disease Control for distribution in 15 African countries.

The company chose to move everybody to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but I loved the West Coast and did not want to make the move so then I found Oasis Diagnostics in June 2002.

and ever since then you know it’s been three companies over 28 years ,  I think now you know I’ve been involved in saliva Diagnostics that is amazing I mean really it is so fascinating and I understand that you did Oasis otherwise we wouldn’t have been connected.

2. As a visionary in this field, how do you see the future of disease diagnostics with saliva?

Saliva diagnostics have come a long way since 1996, when I joined SDS (Saliva Diagnostic Systems). At that time, people regarded saliva as an inferior bodily fluid compared to blood or urine and were not yet accepting of using it for medical diagnostics. However, this changed with the entry of 23 and I got into the saliva diagnostics market in 2015. Over the years, the sensitivity of diagnostic technologies, such as next generation sequencing and lateral flow tests, has improved, allowing for the detection of biomarkers present in lower concentrations in saliva.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought further attention to saliva diagnostics, as there was a shortage of nasal and oropharyngeal swabs and people began to look at saliva as an alternative. As a result, there are now around 30 FDA-approved saliva tests, including PCR tests and real-time LAMP tests. With the increasing popularity of saliva diagnostics, the general public is becoming more aware of these tests and the benefits of non-invasive diagnostics.

I’ve read recently and you’ve probably seen these yourselves little articles that come out and say saliva really is the way to go it’s the wave of the future so you know become the the main floor with a buyer Choice really right because very recently it has been in the news a particular in Indian context also that because now December is a diabetic diabetes awareness month it is kind of celebrated everywhere so I think again saliva Diagnostics in that that aspect of  detecting diabetes is also a revolutionary move that way .

As you said we keep seeing all these information coming out which is really very motivating and inspirational and I think a non-invasive Diagnostics is the way to go at least for us if not for every disease but maybe most of the chronic diseases.

Well I think you know it’s a sneak preview for you know my presentation at cell C I will talk about some of the newer applications and some of the more exciting things that that help us realize that all of a sudden you know we can look at diabetes and saliva we can look at cancer in in saliva we can look at a lot of different things in saliva so that’s what I’m going to talk about and  we are all excited to listen to you at salsi 23

3. The healthcare fraternity is yet to explore the vast field of saliva diagnostics. What do you think are the 3 most important reasons for this?

I feel three important factors in this field: the ability to detect molecules in small concentrations in saliva, the development of next-generation sequencing technologies (such as LAMP and PCR), and the changing mindset of consumers towards health care and testing.

So the First Importance: Detecting Molecules in Small Concentrations: I feel the importance of having newer technologies that can detect molecules in small concentrations in saliva.

Second Importance is of Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies : I see the importance of the development of next-generation sequencing technologies (LAMP and PCR) in the field of saliva testing.

Third Importance: Changing Mindset of Consumers: I feel the changing mindset of younger generations who are more interested in their own health care and are willing to look at different options for testing. This is very different from the older generation who still view blood testing as the primary method for detection.

I, feel the need to find partners to develop assays for saliva testing. I understand the importance of identifying startups who are developing blood tests, and reaching out to them to explore the possibility of developing saliva tests. I understand the benefits of collecting samples at home, including privacy and convenience.

I understand the expanding applications of saliva testing, including its use in the areas of sports medicine, environmental toxicity, and neurodegenerative diseases and that is why I take the efforts of organizing a symposium to bring together experts from different fields to discuss the current and future applications of saliva testing. No doubt I understand that the path of developing advancements in the field of saliva testing has been challenging.

Dr Gargi agrees with Dr Paul’s statement about the expanding applications of saliva testing. Dr Gargi thanks for his support for bringing together experts to discuss the current and future applications of saliva testing in a non-commercial way.

4. What are the greatest challenges you faced in your journey in the field of saliva to date? And how did you solve them?

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