This article was first published in the March 2016 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Where most people see a snack, Nora Khaldi sees data. Her Dublin-based startup, Nuritas, performs molecular analysis of foodstuffs to search for hidden health benefits, from preventing disease to killing bacteria. "Food is a very complex matrix of data," says Khaldi, 37. "We understand how molecules interact with the human body and what their effect is." From its own research, Nuritas has built a database of "bioactive peptides" -- protein components that support bodily functions. This subset of molecules, says Khaldi, "has huge health benefits, similar to drugs, but preventative -- you can manage certain diseases and prevent them if you eat the right molecules".
To find useful peptides, Nuritas analyses raw ingredients -- mainly the cheap, readily available by-products of food production, such as rice husks and pea pods. It uses machine-learning software to match molecules with models of receptors in the human body. If the algorithms point to a suitable candidate, Nuritas proceeds to laboratory tests.
"The traditional way of finding a therapeutic molecule usually takes at least seven years and it's a hit-and-miss approach," says Khaldi. "There's a huge need for a new technology that can do it rapidly."
Khaldi, who has a PhD in bioinformatics and molecular evolution, claims to have discovered 21 patent-protected molecules since February 2014, including nine with anti-inflammatory properties, four that she says slow the ageing process and another that inhibits MRSA -- "That one was found in rice." The next step is to take these to market, which she expects to begin in 2017, first in cosmetics then in supplements. "Our product is the ingredient," she says. "We license it to companies that know how to sell it and package it."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
