Sciona Announces Creation Of New Software Platform Utilizing Microsoft's Latest Tools For The Science Of Personal Genetics

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 06 Jun 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Sciona, Inc. (http://www.mycellf.com), a pioneer in the science of Personal Genetics for lifestyle and nutritional guidance, today announced its collaboration with the NTUA (National Technical University of Athens) to develop a new software platform named RE2, using Microsoft's latest application platform and development tools. RE2 marries state-of-the-art technology with the burgeoning science of Personal Genetics, and expands exponentially the possibilities of the software applications.

"This project is a prime example of the value of software in the Personal Genetics industry," said Patrick Malone of Microsoft Hellas (Greece). "The teams from NTUA and Sciona skillfully combined our latest technologies, including Visual Studio 2008, .NET Framework 3.5 and the soon-to-be-released SQL Server 2008, to create a very scalable, customizable and secure software platform. Working with the new Microsoft Office document format, Open XML, they managed to present the processed results in a human-readable and understandable way, giving clear and actionable advice to their customers, based on their genetic profile."

Professor Dimitris Koutsouris, Director of Biomedical Engineering Laboratory of NTUA, said: "For the NTUA, the biggest reward is to witness Sciona's scientists using our system, converting the accumulated knowledge in genetic research into comprehensive personalized advice for the individuals. This project is an example of Biomedical Engineering Science fulfilling its goals."

"Our laboratory has been using Microsoft's tools and technologies for some years now, mainly because it provides us the best underlying layer of software infrastructure to build applications of the highest standards in a number of different critical aspects of today's software: security, scalability, connectivity, usability, performance. Microsoft has helped us to embrace its latest technologies, and we are very proud that our work for this project was presented as a use case in its latest 2008 launch event," said Professor Koutsouris.

President and CEO of Sciona Peter Vitulli said, "The development of RE2 is truly a milestone. It increases the functionality of our proprietary Sciona Genostic Rules Engine to an extent never before possible, opening the way to greater integration of nutritional, biological and genetic information. Truly groundbreaking, it enriches the input parameters of Sciona's Lifestyle Questionnaire, giving rise to a greatly expanded range of biomedical and biophysical data that can now be input into our recommendations to individuals (e.g. cholesterol levels, blood pressure etc), making them infinitely more effective and useful in making lifestyle decisions. In addition, we will be able to easily add new genes and information to the RE2 logic as the rapidly evolving scientific developments in gene research occur."

mycellf™ DNA Personalized Genetics Analysis Kits

The mycellf™ DNA Personalized Genetics Analysis Kits assist in structuring optimal nutritional and fitness programs to achieve overall wellness. By allowing individuals to specifically address factors unique to them based on their personal genetic makeup, it offers new insights into how their genetic makeup affects metabolism, diet, nutritional processing and lifestyle. According to Vitulli, RE2 will increase both the breadth and the overall accuracy of such recommendations to individuals, leading to greater health and well-being.

mycellf™ DNA Personalized Genetics Analysis Kits instruct individuals in using a special cotton swab to collect cells from the inside of the cheek. The individual then completes a lifestyle questionnaire about his or her diet and exercise habits. The swab and completed questionnaire are sent to Sciona, where the individual's DNA is analyzed on the basis of 27 specific genes which have been proven in numerous studies to respond to changes in nutrition, diet, exercise and lifestyle. The outcome is a completely personalized Action Plan for the individual.

The sophisticated, confidential mycellf™ DNA Personalized Genetics analysis will now enjoy greatly enhanced functionality thanks to the RE2 software platform, the collaborative brainchild of Sciona, the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory of NTUA (National Technical University of Athens), and Microsoft's state-of-the-art technology and software tools.

Dr. Rosalynn Gill, Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of Sciona commented, "Software is critical to our business because there are literally an infinite number of possible combinations of DNA and lifestyle questionnaire results. A major challenge for our business has been to identify the right software solutions that would allow us to grow with the science, so that as the science identifies more genes and more relevant information, we can produce more genetically personalized solutions. The RE2 software allows us to meet that challenge in a way never before possible, with hugely beneficial ramifications for consumers, namely a leading-edge scientific tool to assist individuals seeking optimal health in reaching their goals more effectively."

About Sciona, Inc.

Sciona is an international company founded in 2000 to provide personalized health and nutrition recommendations based on an individual's diet, lifestyle and unique genetic profile. Sciona has created a powerful set of tools utilizing their proprietary Genostic Rules Engine™ which allows consumers to harness the scientific information uncovered in the landmark Human Genome Project.

http://www.mycellf.com