In Vitro Nutritional Profile Determination for IBD Patients

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Solution Overview

Problem

Patients with diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often experience malnutrition due to altered nutritional status, leading to deficiencies in macronutrients and micronutrients, which are not adequately addressed by standard dietary management, necessitating a method to determine distinctive nutritional requirements.

Innovation Solution

An in vitro method to determine the nutritional profile of patients by comparing direct and indirect markers of macronutrients and micronutrients in diseased subjects to healthy subjects, identifying distinctive nutritional requirements and formulating nutritional compositions to restore the nutritional profile.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If standard dietary management is provided to patients with IBD, then general nutritional support is given, but distinctive nutritional requirements specific to the disease are not adequately addressed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenutritional composition adaptabilityVSAvoidnutritional status assessment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention segments the nutritional assessment into multiple distinct components: direct markers (amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals) and indirect markers (metabolites, catabolites, functional parameters). This segmentation allows for precise identification of specific nutritional deficiencies related to IBD while maintaining overall nutritional support.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameters of nutritional assessment by introducing a comprehensive panel of direct and indirect markers that specifically reflect IBD-related nutritional status. This includes measuring disease-specific parameters such as mucin synthesis markers and inflammatory-related metabolic changes, enabling tailored nutritional compositions for IBD patients.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive nutritional analysis with multiple markers is performed, then precise nutritional requirements are identified, but complexity of the method increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenutritional profile determination precisionVSAvoidmethod complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention creates a universal nutritional assessment method that can evaluate multiple nutrient categories (amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals) and their metabolic derivatives through a single integrated approach. This multi-functional method identifies distinctive nutritional requirements across all these categories simultaneously, reducing overall method complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention implements feedback mechanisms by comparing measured marker levels against reference ranges and using this information to dynamically adjust nutritional composition recommendations. The system continuously monitors nutritional status changes and refines the nutritional profile determination, simplifying the interpretation of complex marker data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If nutritional compositions are tailored to restore specific nutritional profile, then clinical outcomes improve, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveclinical outcome reliabilityVSAvoidnutritional composition formulation ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by customizing specific nutrient components of the nutritional composition based on the patient's identified deficiencies, while maintaining standard components for nutrients that are adequate. This allows targeted enrichment of specific nutrients (e.g., specific amino acids, vitamins, or minerals) without reformulating the entire composition, simplifying manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention performs preliminary identification of distinctive nutritional requirements through comprehensive marker analysis before finalizing the nutritional composition formulation. By pre-determining which nutrients require adjustment based on marker profiles, the actual formulation and manufacturing process is simplified, as only specific components need customization rather than the entire product.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3248003B1Method for determining the distinctive nutritional requirements of a patient
Publication Date: 2023.04.19 SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE SA
  • EP3248003B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3248003B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3248003B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for determining the distinctive nutritional requirements of a patient with specific nutritional needs and providing a composition meeting the distinctive nutritional requirements of said patient.