As part of the “Microbiome for Longevity” project, about 200 Moscow residents over the age of 55 will be able to receive personalized recommendations for improving their health through gut microbiota modulation over the course of a year. This initiative is being implemented by the Global Alliance for Assistance, a charitable foundation for science support, following a grant competition by the Moscow Department of Labor and Social Protection called “Moscow — a Kind City.”
The main stages will include: genetic analysis of the gut microbiome using 16S sequencing, individual consultations, the development of a personalized computational diet for each participant, and educational events on the topics of longevity and gut health.
The formulation of the individual diet will be based on technology from the company Novabiom, which has developed an AI algorithm using data extracted from more than 50,000 scientific studies and 36,000 microbiota profiles of people with and without diseases. To receive such a nutritional plan, one must take a genetic test of their gut microbiota.
“It’s important not only to know which microbes inhabit the gut but also to change them for the better. Personalized recommendations on nutrition, prebiotics, and probiotics can help with this. This falls under the concept of a computational diet, i.e., a diet based on precise data. This approach allows not only for a comprehensive effect on microbes but also for tracking their composition over time,” said Sofya Tsvetikova, a microbiologist and head of microbiology at Novabiom, who is also a lecturer and researcher at ITMO University.
The developers also clarified that the algorithm processes data on the qualitative and quantitative composition of gut bacteria and determines how this community of bacteria affects various aspects of health and biological age. Based on this information, along with data on the client’s current health status and dietary habits, the system generates personalized nutritional recommendations: a list of foods to add and temporarily limit, as well as specific dishes from a recipe database containing more than 1,100 options.
According to the scientists, the project also holds significant scientific value, as current global microbiome research lacks data for the 55+ age group. They emphasized that the gut microbiota is one of the important factors for longevity and health. The community of gut bacteria largely determines immunity and protection against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, depression, and certain types of cancer.
Earlier, GxP News reported that specialists from Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, in collaboration with industrial partners, developed four-component metabiotics — a new class of drugs for correcting the state of the human microbiome.
