Tracking technology: DSM teams up with Wellmetrix in personalized nutrition research

25 Oct 2019 --- Royal DSM has partnered with Wellmetrix, a personal health testing developer, to explore the use of Wellmetrix’s diagnostic platform to perform non-invasive measurements of key health biomarkers. The collaboration will develop Wellmetrix’s tracking technology in the context of users consuming DSM’s nutritional ingredients. Should the partnership be fruitful, it could lead to the development of new product concepts designed to support metabolic health and to counter oxidative stress and inflammation.

“Consumers are increasingly recognizing the benefits of a more tailored approach to their health and wellness. While there have been advances in new technologies for personal health tracking, the concept itself is not new,” Dr. Nate Matusheski, Lead Scientist, Personalized Nutrition & Dietary Supplements at DSM Nutrition Science & Advocacy, tells NutritionInsight.

“The DSM partnership provides us with the opportunity to refine our algorithms, test the limits of our assays and generally improve our multianalyte approach to personal health tracking. The aim is that our partners at DSM are able to gain new insights into their products as well, and how DSM ingredients help optimize nutrition-based health regimens tailored to an individual’s specific needs,” a Wellmetrix spokesperson also tells NutritionInsight.

Wellmetrix is a digital medtech startup that generates revenue with small studies using its patented Wellness platform, the Wellmetrix spokesperson explains. Meanwhile, the company moves forward with manufacturing development, low-volume tooling and clinical norming studies for a consumer-facing personal health tracking in-home wellness kit to be launched in the near term. 

Wellmetrix uses a patented panel of select urinary biomarkers, a sophisticated smartphone app and an in-home test kit to provide users with a personalized health and wellness status. This also allows them to follow the impact of positive lifestyle changes over time. The collaborative study will evaluate the Wellmetrix Panel for tracking improvements in personal health and wellness following the consumption of DSM’s nutritional ingredients. The panel includes a novel array of urinary biomarker assays that measure markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. These are important indicators of the state of an individual’s health and wellness.

This non-invasive multiplex test pairs with any smartphone to present sophisticated analytics and tracks the impact of diet, exercise, sleep, supplementation, hydration or other inputs. With the gathered data, the test delivers a comprehensive, highly individualized picture of personal health and wellness.

Technology is a key trend within the personalized nutrition space.A growing trend
“Collected personal data is becoming more meaningful to individuals. Wearable technology, such as smart watches, means that consumers can accurately track their sleep, steps and heart rate. All of this can help them make more informed decisions when it comes to their health and wellbeing. It’s exciting to think about the types of data that the next generation of tracking devices will be able to deliver and how that information can be used to develop customized nutrition solutions,” Dr. Matusheski notes.

With the continued advancements in technology and the adaptation to the wearables industry, Wellmetrix is rapidly acquiring informative data on individuals’ and populations’ general health and well-being. The power is bringing that data together to better understand how habits and lifestyles impact human health, says the Wellmetrix spokesperson.

Dr. Matusheski says that DSM is currently still in the early stages of identifying specific ingredients, but is exploring a number of possibilities as part of the research with Wellmetrix. Ingredients that have been clinically shown to have an impact on the markers of oxidative stress or inflammation have become of particular interest to the company. 

DSM is active in the personalized nutrition solutions space “from concept development to turnkey solutions,” says Dr. Matusheski. “I recently joined a panel of multidisciplinary scientists to develop a set of suggested guidelines that focus on the quality of data and diagnostic methods used in personalized nutrition approaches. A lack of a widely accepted definition of personalized nutrition has presented a number of barriers for implementation and these new guidelines, which have been published in Advances in Nutrition, will help to establish a clear way forward for personalized nutrition.”

Not only nutrition
Dr. Matusheski acknowledges that nutrition is not the only factor that can impact health and wellness outcomes. Other dietary and behavioral interventions may also impact the biomarkers in the Wellmetrix test. Therefore, DSM is on the lookout for promising new technologies that can provide a window into personal wellness, he explains. 

Personalized nutrition is also pushing sales of ingredients that target gut health. However, the space hasn’t become mainstream just yet. There are still several barriers in place before personalized nutrition can truly hit the marketplace. One next step could be bringing genetic testing to the masses, according to Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, President and Chief Science Officer at Nutrigenomix. Another example includes exploring Artifical Intelligence-driven offerings and software solutions as well as new modes of use, such as embeddables and ingestibles.

Regardless of the direction that this space will take, it is imperative that facts remain facts, and are not sullied with fake news. This ensures consumers can make informed purchasing decisions that are tailored to their specific needs. 

By Anni Schleicher with additional reporting by Laxmi Haigh