AI firm develops biomarkers for patients with chronic bowel conditions

AI start-up Nori Health is developing digital biomarkers, specifically linked to patients with chronic bowel conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

These biomarkers suggest connections between behaviour and disease activity, including symptoms and inflammation. 

Several digital biomarkers have been identified by Nori Health in behavioural data regarding exercising, nutrition, stress reduction methods, mental health and many more.

Digital biomarkers can be defined as data collected about health or disease management, through different technologies (apps) and devices (wearables and phones), to help promote and predict health-related outcomes.

Identifying these digital biomarkers will provide insights into lifestyle and behaviour change that can prevent the inflammation of the disease. A perfect complement to medical treatment. Additionally they can slow the ever-growing prevalence of chronic diseases, by offering deep learnings into prevention for people at risk.

Dr. Inna Lukyanovsky, medicine practitioner in New Jersey, and author of The Crohn’s & Colitis Fix book, underlines the importance for medical treatment: “These new digital biomarkers can show patterns that doctors will not get from a patient’s visit. When this data is accessible to all healthcare practitioners, they are able to make the best treatment plans, and the chance of missing anything might be smaller as well.”

As chronic diseases present themselves differently, a highly personal approach is needed to establish the best possible adjustments to the healthcare plan. Nori Health is on a mission to contribute to this shift in out-patient care.

Nori Health founder, Roeland Pater, said: “Everything you do in daily life impacts this disease on a small or big scale. Things that seem harmless to a healthy individual, such as a period of time without exercising or a day without proper nutrition, can be very impactful for a person living with a chronic disease.

“The problem is that the impact can show up much later, so most people are not aware what caused it. We need to provide patients with a better understanding of their behaviour in relation to their condition. Digital biomarkers will take this a major step forward. And this goes beyond bowel diseases of course - it applies to rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and cancer for example; among many others.”

Nori Health is collecting (anonymised) data through its personalised chatbot coaching programme which is offered in partnership with pharmaceutical companies and hospitals.

Patients enrol in an eight-week programme for chat conversations with chatbot Nori, focussing on lifestyle and behavioural topics that have been proven to impact quality of life. By providing personalised insights, Nori helps patients improve their disease management. The programme is a CE-certified medical device and complies with GDPR to ensure patient safety and data privacy.