Nutrigenomics: Impacts on Markets, Diets, and Health provides the scientific and business communities with an overview of nutrigenomics—the tailoring of diet to personal genetics. The report presents a broad overview of the primary segments along the food industry value chain in 2005, with a look at how nutrigenomic technologies are influencing each segment. The barriers and opportunities are discussed in each area, and a qualitative forecast is presented of how these new technologies will ultimately impact companies, markets, and consumers. The analysis is based on primary and secondary research, including interviews with thought-leading nutritional geneticists and heads of nutrigenomic testing firms, and on extensive psychographic surveying of consumers.

The science of nutrition and genomics is driving the emergence of nutrigenomic food products, some of which are unique and patentable, that cross traditional pharma, biotech, and food industry boundaries. Within the new field of diagnostic tests that relate to diet and health, two applications have emerged: Nutrigenetic tests are being used for personalized nutrition testing, and tests are also being developed to predict risk or susceptibility for diet-related diseases. Moreover, the public appears to be receptive to these developments: proprietary survey results indicate that consumers would be willing to pay from $184–$483 (median, $314) for a nutrigenetic test!

The report includes:

• A definition of nutrigenomics.
• The technologies that are being introduced and adapted to study nutritional genetics and to develop products in the pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and food-related industries.
• Potential models of how nutrigenomics will play out in the marketplace.
• A survey of the IP landscape.
• Consumer perceptions and actions regarding nutrigenomics.
• The regulations governing nutrigenetic diagnostic products.

About the Authors

Kathie L. Wrick, Ph.D., R.D., has over 25 years of experience working in the food industry or consulting to food, beverage, and nutritional products companies and their ingredient suppliers. Currently a Partner with The Food Group (Concord, MA), she is a former Principal in the Food and Pharmaceutical Practice at TIAX LLC and its predecessor company Arthur D. Little, Inc., where she served clients in the food and related industries for 12 years. Her interests and expertise are in market analysis and forecasting, technology assessment, project design and management, the strategic management of technology and R&D, the ethical collection of competitive intelligence, with emphasis on the food ingredient and nutraceutical industries. In addition, she maintains status as a Registered Dietician and an interest in the nutritional sciences, including the design and evaluation of human feeding studies. Dr. Wrick has also previously held positions at McNeil Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson; M&M Mars; Stop and Shop Manufacturing; HJ Heinz; and Quaker Oats.

Dr. Wrick is the author of numerous publications on nutraceuticals and functional foods and food ingredient functionalities, and their outlook and trends. She has been an invited speaker in these areas as well as the emerging field of nutrigenomics.

She holds a B.S. (Honors) and Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food from Cornell University and an MS in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts.

Laura Ruth, Ph.D., is an independent medical, science, and technology writer and consultant. She has provided a wide range of services to education, biotech, journal, and market research clients for the past six years following a nine-year career as a biological chemistry laboratory scientist. Dr. Ruth’s education, combined with her experiences as a biological chemistry technician at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories and Syntex, allow her to cover a broad range of science, technology, and policy topics. She has previously authored ten biotechnology market research reports for Business Communications Company, Inc. and Kalorama Information. Topics have included gene therapy, protein chips, immunoassays, molecular diagnostics, and prion diagnostics for applications in such industries as the clinical, food, and biodefense. As a journalist for Analytical Chemistry, she has also published on a wide array of food safety, bioinformatics, microarray, and diagnostic topics. Other publications Dr. Ruth has written for include Genetic & Engineering News, The Alchemist, and Oncology News International.

Dr. Ruth holds a B.S. in chemistry from MIT and a Ph.D. in biological X-ray crystallography from the University of Pennsylvania. She performed an interdisciplinary post-doc in biological X-ray crystallography and molecular diagnostics at NIH. Dr. Ruth can be contacted via email at laura@lrwritingand.com.