SBIR Phase I:Genomics and AI-based biological effect benchmark development for functional ingredients

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to improve the consistency of functional food and beverage and dietary supplements (FFBDS).Functional ingredients are ingredients that have benefits beyond normal nutrition, such as curcumin (turmeric), green tea, and cranberry extract. Currently FFBDS companies face challenges in sourcing functional ingredients that are consistent in their quality from batch-to-batch. The testing methods measure only the ingredient quantity and not quality. This project advances a technology to measure the effectiveness of these functional ingredients.This information enables FFBDS manufacturers to provide clarity, trust, and ease to the process of purchasing functional products. Furthermore, this can also be used to identify the specific health benefits and develop personalized nutrition products. In addition, the data can provide traceability and information for sustainable farming, harvesting, extracting, and manufacturing practices.The proposed project will develop biological effect benchmarks for the pure form of functional ingredients, starting with turmeric, using commercially available human cells, genomics, and artificial intelligence technologies.The project will develop a test to measures a compound's biological effectiveness compared to that of the benchmark. The system will generate a biological effect score of the ingredient, a list of key genes affected, and a description of the relevance of these genes on human health. The system will be developed for high-throughput, cost-effective operation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.