Ink (Media) & Think (Blog)

By Sherry Hseih, Healthcare Editor

Meshkin’s venture fund is a “social entrepreneurship accelerator that is helping profound social problems.” Profound Ventures plans to make seed investments in the five- to low six-digits, starting with healthcare opportunities. The current portfolio includes technologies to help people age at home.

By Mary Corey, Reporter

He has rallied… to many causes, including fighting prejudice, hunger, homelessness, domestic violence and cancer… Brian's efforts have not gone unnoticed. This year he received a community service award from the United Way of Central Maryland and was named Maryland's young volunteer of the year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

By Vita Reed, Reporter

Brian Meshkin sought a way to help doctors make better decisions in the specialty of pain management, acting on the desire in 2009 when he created Irvine-based Proove Biosciences Inc. Meshkin, Proove’s founder and chief executive, was one of five winners honored by the Business Journal at its 15th annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards at a March 10 luncheon at Hotel Irvine

By David Folkenflik, Now an NPR Correspondent

There's a simple answer: Above all, Meshkin appears to be a young man who believes fervently that The System works. His brief life seems to prove the cliches: If you play by the rules, work hard, keep your head down and fight for what you believe, you'll succeed. While canny enough to work the system, it's little wonder that Meshkin believes in it.

By Kathleen Bachynski, Angela Turi, and Alison Bateman-House

Eighth grader Brian Meshkin, who was on the scene of the crash that killed Kelley, led the students’ committee on bike helmet legislation. The group prepared surveys to document the need for a law, called newspapers and television stations to seek editorial support, and testified during a Howard County Council meeting.

As a result of their activism, the local council approved the new ordinance on May 7, 1990. 

By Sajid Khan

SK: What advice would you offer to our readers who aspire to follow in your footsteps?

Brian: When starting a business, don’t try to do it based on a hypothesis or  “if…then” statement. So many entrepreneurs say, “if” I can do this or  that, “then” I will be able to do this or that. Such a hypothesis makes  your business an experiment subject to conditions. Success has never  been a condition, it has been a destination for me. Eliminate the “ifs”  and focus on how to incrementally do the “thens”. By doing this, you  won’t wait to do what is necessary to succeed.

Brian Meshkin is interviewed by Dr. Alan Beyer from Hoag Orthopedic Institute, a client of Proove Biosciences

Back in 2008, the San Diego Magazine chose Brian as an Honorable Mention in the Powers to Be in Biotechnology.

Brian Meshkin, President and CEO of Proove BioSciences joined  Critical Mass Radio Show to how his firm is changing the future of  medicine. 

A social entrepreneur with innovative solutions to society’s most  pressing social problems, Brian is an ambitious and persistent leader  who lays out Proove’s vision and continues to lead the Company with  dramatic revenue growth, disruptive technological innovations, a robust  pipeline of new proprietary tests, and financial profitability.

By Jeniece Pettitt

Brian Meshkin founded Irvine, California-based Proove Biosciences in   2009. The company developed a portfolio of tests that can  determine  someone’s pain profile and tolerance to different pain  medications to  give doctors more information before prescribing  medication.

By Dina Gusovsky

Sixty  percent of the score a patient receives is based on testing  for  genetic markets associated with addiction, of which there are   several, including COMT, dopamine receptors and the  opioid MU1 receptor  gene.

 The other 40 percent of the addiction-risk score  comes from  personal factors: age, personal medical history, previous   substance abuse and any history of depression (due to its links  to drug  use). 

An Irvine biotech company is hoping to take on the nation’s opioid  epidemic with a genetic test it says can identify patients who are  predisposed to getting addicted to painkillers.

The problem is clear: Nearly 2 million people were found to be  addicted to pain medication and nearly 19,000 people died from taking  pain medication in 2014, according to the American Society of Addiction  Medicine.

By Joe Burris

Meshkin advocated programs and practices implemented by the school  system during his tenure, including digital education, processes to  streamline the district's operations and a task force for student mental  health. He also took part in board meetings via digital conference and  said he engaged in efforts to establish transport for students taking  evening and weekend classes.

By Sara Toth

Meshkin  cited the growing success of his business — Proove Biosciences — as  well as increasing time constraints therein, and a desire to spend more  time with his family as reasons for his decision. "I  do this with a heavy heart," he said. "I love serving my community. ...  But there is a time and a season for everything, and at this stage in  my life with a company based in California that is growing by leaps and  bounds, and the precious time I am missing with my children, I must  place the needs of my family first."