Developing new sustainable technologies, grounded in event science and aligned with the concepts of One Health and Health Technology Assessment. AI can be used in research to understand the physiological mechanisms of natural matrices through in vitro diagnostic techniques, particularly multi-omics such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. This was discussed at the Annual Assembly of Integratori & Salute, focusing on the theme of “AI and digitization: trends, impacts and adoption strategies”, held in Milan at the PwC Tower.
Techniques and Technologies That Will Revolutionize the Way We Interpret Biological Events
The availability and knowledge of the “omics” sciences and the acquired computational capability that enables extracting meaning from, not only describing, millions of data points, and thus the ability to better interpret these data as a whole, are opening up the possibility to manage and understand more effectively what happens inside the body.
«Such approaches – explained Jacopo Lucci, CSO, Bios-Therapy, Physiological Systems for Health SpA – are changing the perception of physiology, shifting the focus from understanding what happens at a single receptor or a particular organ, toward evaluating what happens on a systemic scale, across entire networks of physiological events that underpin, for example, homeostatic processes».
These techniques can be applied to studies across various domains, such as understanding the relationship generated along the gut–liver–central nervous system axis by a specific therapeutic intervention; this means that what until today was discussed imprecisely due to technical or other limitations can, thanks to AI tools and innovative approaches, be measured quantitatively to inform subsequent qualitative observations: a opportunity that significantly shifts the therapeutic landscape.
«It is possible to tangibly touch – continues Lucci – how a treatment may interact in a dysregulated way, or not, with the body’s homeostatic systems and physiology based on the impact that a given treatment generates on the body’s homeostatic networks. This is a valuable potential in cases where, for example, one must decide how to manage and monitor the differences between highly multifaceted interactions versus more networked, comprehensive and structured interventions, in line with the body’s own language. An added value of this approach is that it will also enable us to speak about the magnitude of a given intervention and how close it comes to re-establishing homeostasis, i.e., its power in terms of magnitude and qualitative aspects».
The Application of AI in the Field of Dietary Supplements
AI is revolutionizing the way natural matrices are studied, i.e., the complexes of bioactive substances that form the basis of natural supplements. Unlike nutraceuticals, understood as supplements composed of purified substances that act on a single target, natural matrices exert a diffuse and systemic effect, engaging multiple physiological functions simultaneously.
«By studying and integrating the data provided by multi-omics in vitro diagnostics – Lucci added – which offer the possibility of acquiring extensive information about how the body functions, thus providing a comprehensive snapshot of physiological responses, AI tools can objectively analyze how natural matrices influence physiological systems and quantify their effects. This opens up new prospects for both research and the supplement industry. Today it is possible to understand and measure the mechanisms of action of the substances that constitute natural matrices, evaluating their effects not in isolation but as part of a dynamic and interconnected system. This approach leads to a more precise, transparent, and sustainable nutritional integration, capable of combining scientific innovation, physiological efficacy, and respect for the environment».
A New Vision
«Thanks to AI – concluded Germano Scarpa, President of Integratori & Salute – we are entering a new era of dietary supplementation, where each product can be designed for a precise nutritional profile and a particular lifestyle, but it is essential that this progress be accompanied by an ethical, responsible, and regulated approach. The use of data, the accuracy of recommendations, and consumer protection must remain at the center of every current and future perspective».
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