Viome expands personalized preventative nutrition mission to Canada
“Viome is focused on detecting underlying causes and signs of harmful activity in each individual early on and translating these signals into actionable recommendations that provide meaningful improvements, supplements that take into account the severity and uniqueness of one’s health needs, and biotics that aren’t one-size-fits-all,” said Naveen Jain, CEO and founder of Viome.
The Canadian market will have access to Viome's at-home wellness and diagnostic tests, along with personalized microbiome health products through the company's website.
A systems medicine approach
Viome explains that it uses a systems medicine approach that considers each customer’s distinct microbiomes – whether oral, gut, skin or other – to deliver “true product personalization” based on individual biology and advanced microbiome testing.
“In a world of wellness gurus, generalized nutrition advice, and fad diets, individuals must listen to their bodies which send signals about your needs even before your symptoms arise,” Jain said.
Tests are shipped in sleek packaging printed with the trademarked phrase: “Imagine a world where illness is optional.” The most comprehensive – the Full Body Intelligence Test – collects stool, blood and saliva samples and returns over 50 health scores related to the underlying causes of digestive health, physical performance, mental health, cognitive function, metabolic health, immunity, sleep, cardiovascular health, and oral health.
Results also come with a biological age score, which compares how a person is aging from within to actual chronological age.
AI-assisted product personalization
In addition to health scores and nutrition recommendations, Viome provides precision supplements, probiotics and prebiotics as add-on monthly subscription to stimulate or suppress certain functions and restore balance. These formulations can be updated over time as gene expression evolves and customers retest (recommended every four to six months).
“Based on the individual’s results and health scores, Viome can create a formula that is 100% unique to that individual and includes the dosage they need with ingredients that may include vitamins, herbs, food extracts, minerals, amino acids, and more - all in eight capsules per day,” the company explained.
These nutrients are selected through Viome’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform, which matches ingredients based on an analysis of millions of data points from expressed genes and a database from over 20,000 clinical studies to “address the root cause of symptoms related to nutrient absorption, deficiencies, microbial imbalances, low-grade inflammation, and other activities that have the potential to cause long-term health consequences.”
Looking forward after explosive growth
The move into Canada comes on the heels of what Viome describes as an “explosive year of growth”, one that included the testing of 550,000 samples. In Oct. 2022, the company raised $67 million in Series C financing, bringing total funds to over $170 million. The capital infusion was used towards product innovation, including development of a to-be-released Oral Health Intelligence Test and personalized oral biotics in lozenge and gel toothpaste formats.
Also in the pipeline: an Oral Health Pro with CancerDetect test for Oral Health Professionals, which proposes “unprecedented accuracy to early cancer detection and prevention as the only oral and throat cancer test to offer detection with 95% specificity and 90% sensitivity”.
“Viome's robust AI engine and the data it collects also have the potential to drive the development of innovative early diagnostic tests,” the company said. “For instance, the technology behind Viome's CancerDetect Test for Oral and Throat Cancer – the flagship product in its Discovery Test line – has received FDA breakthrough device designation, granted for accelerated approval.”
Looking forward, Viome says that as more individuals utilize its at-home tests, the more sophisticated and precise its AI engine becomes, particularly when combined with an ever-growing database of peer-reviewed research.
