Medtronic announced plans to absorb Nutrino Health, a nutrition-focused data analytics company, and further integrate its work with its diabetes group. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The medtech giant previously worked with Nutrino in a multiyear partnership to develop a meal-logging app for people with diabetes connected to its iPro2 glucose-monitoring system. It also helped work on the Sugar.IQ diabetes assistant app for the Guardian Connect smart CGM system.
Medtronic said it plans to add Nutrino's food database, analysis system and nutrition-science expertise to its capabilities, as well as its algorithms under development to predict glycemic responses to food. The company hopes that by integrating it with continuous glucose-monitoring systems, it can reduce the burden required for people with diabetes to manage food intake and nutrition.
Nutrino’s FoodPrint report allows patients to grade their meals based on their body’s reaction to different foods, to help them better understand their effects on glucose variability. The company has also worked in similar partnerships with Dexcom, Welltok, Abbott and IBM Watson, to power nutrition recommendations for expectant mothers.
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Going forward, Nutrino CEO Yael Glassman said the company would focus completely on the intersection of nutrition and diabetes.
“Bringing Nutrino and their nutrition-related expertise into our organization will give us a substantial differentiator in the diabetes industry and accelerate our progress to help people with diabetes live with greater freedom and better health,” said Hooman Hakami, executive vice president and president of the Medtronic’s diabetes group.
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“The Nutrino team has been an outstanding partner over the past few years,” Hakami said. “We are excited to welcome them to our team, and I have no doubt that, together, we will make a profound impact on the lives of people with diabetes.”