Around the Campus: Giordano Bottà, Genomics Revolution in the Startup World

Giordano, CEO and co-founder of Allelica, had one of those “aha!” moments while doing his Ph.D. research at the University of Oxford. He realized that it was time to make people benefit from the scientific revolution that had happened in Genomics in the past years. And that’s how he packed his bags and went back to Rome to start a new chapter of his life.

Allelica has recently joined Pi Campus with the ambition to develop a platform that allows people to benefit from scientific progress, particularly in identifying genetic predisposition to diseases and receiving personalized nutrition plans.

In genetics, allelica, the allelic frequency, actually refers to the diversity contained in our genes, as the differences between each person start from the tiniest variations in our DNA. And as each one of us is unique, also should be our lifestyle and eating habits, accordingly to our genetics.

The Genomic Revolution happened with technological advances united with the reduction of the costs of the genome sequencing and analysis. Today, it is possible to compare the genomes of hundred of thousands of people and answer to questions that have been unstudied till now.

“We now have the possibility to read DNA with an inexpensive test that allows personalizing nutritional plans to prevent future diseases”, says Giordano. And Artificial Intelligence plays a significant role here. Allelica has developed an algorithm that provides a diet based on lifestyle and genomics of the person. “For example, if someone has a predisposition to cardiac diseases, the algorithm reduces all the food with saturated fats, adding more sources of energy and antioxidants”, he adds.

The team of developers of Allelica has been working on an App in which, thanks to your analysis kit, you will have access to your personalized nutrition plan and receive notifications to keep you on track. For example, for someone with bad blood circulation and predisposition to conditions such as thrombophilia, the app will send reminders to take a 5-minute break and stretch their legs. The same applies to food: the app will remind you of the daily dose you should take into account to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need, for example.

AI is also used when studying the genomes. Reading it once, the algorithm compares the genome of the sample with all those that are on the database and understands to which pathologies you are prone to, without having to ask about your family health history.

“What differentiates us is that we make diet plans to stay healthy, not only to lose weight on a short term. For us is all about health prevention and help people to understand how to lead a healthier life”, says Giordano. People have never been as aware as they are today of the importance of personalized nutrition to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Together with George Busby, Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder, Paolo di Domenico, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Giordano is taking his startup to the next level. The team is growing and Rustam Atakisiev and Shamru Karimov, Computer Scientists from La Sapienza University have just joined this international team. All the progress is followed by their Scientific Advisor, Fabio Virgili, Professor and Editor at the scientific journal Genes & Nutrition.

Allelica’s priorities are the internationalization to other European markets, continue investing in high-end technology and AI solutions, and make the most of the User Experience according to all the feedback received. 

We’ll keep track of them, and so can you, through their website and Facebook Page.

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