Science + Technology
Clinical Evidence Stratification System
Our team of scientists(expertise in Developmental Biology, Medical Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience and Cell Biology) have spent over five years developing a de-novo science system, by meticulously re-evaluating and stratifying all human clinical trials(worldwide sources: PubMed, Cochrane), conducted on micronutrients and botanical interventions done in the past 25 years.
This proprietary Science system categorized the clinical evidence, i.e 40k+ studies conducted across 1000+ active ingredients, 4000+ health conditions and 60+ key health benefits, thereby quantifying the depth of research done in this space over time, and establishing a hierarchy of effectiveness for specific health interventions. This includes weighting evidence from high quality studies(RCTs) to determine the most efficacious formulations and dosages for specific health interventions, that then forms the starting basis of evidence-based nutrient recommendations we provide our users. Which is then further personalized based on the user's age, gender, BMI, health history and genetic data.
Our goal with this system is to demystify and democratize complex science around health and nutrition. And with this transparent and complete access to our well qualified science system, empower our users with the scientific knowledge on any/all nutrient interventions/supplements that are part of their Project Serotonin program recommendations, or for what they may be taking, or actively considering for their unique needs.
Continuous measurements and optimization is central to our Project Serotonin program. The science system also supplies crucial data for the ongoing qualitative and quantitative health impact/outcomes measurements (HIMs i.e. Blood biomarkers) - as employed in the clinical trials, to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of ingredients in an ongoing basis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579640/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10220724/
Nutrigenomics System
Supplements offer a boost to our well-being, but their effectiveness is heavily shaped by our genetic composition. The human genome harbors genetic variances that exert a profound influence on how we metabolize nutrients. For instance, key genes such as MTHFR, VDR, COMT, GSTM1, and GSTT1 play important roles in metabolizing nutrients/neurotransmitters, and detoxification. Variants in these genes affect how our bodies process vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and other supplements. Thereby directly impacting the quantum of benefits or lack thereof that one might observe/experience with these supplements.
The burgeoning discipline of nutrigenomics allows us to tailor supplement programs based on the user's unique genetic blueprint. This entails genetic testing to unveil specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with nutrient metabolism. Subsequently, tailored supplement recommendations are designed, accounting for an individual's genetic proclivities, dietary habits, and health objectives. Regular monitoring and adjustments ensure that the regimen evolves in harmony with changing needs.
To attain such a high degree of personalization, we utilize genetic variants sourced from PubMed and the GWAS catalog. We've established a meticulously curated database, overseen by experts, housing the most influential SNPs supported by substantial clinical study evidence. This system is organized according to clinical conditions and genotypes proven to influence specific traits. This approach holds great promise and stands poised to elevate individuals' well-being by enabling a laser-focused approach to targeted supplementation protocols. By identifying the precise genetic variants linked to specific health conditions or traits, we can suggest supplements that are more likely to be advantageous for that particular individual. This contrasts starkly with the conventional, one-size-fits-all method of supplementation.
Genomics-based personalization, through the use of genetic variants from our curated system, holds the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the effectiveness of supplements and promise of markedly improving individuals' health and vitality.
Product Qualification System
"Cultivating Confidence in Dietary Supplements: Project Serotonin's Commitment to Quality and Personalized Wellness"
Popular dietary supplements can pose potential risks, including subpar manufacturing, allergic reactions, and a failure to meet dietary requirements. These risks further lead to inadequate dosages, substandard formulations, and inactive ingredients that offer no clinical benefits.
Reputable brands adhere to stringent labeling practices, good manufacturing standards, and quality regulations. However, customers may overlook or underestimate the significance of that quality information. Project Serotonin employs a proprietary supplement knowledge system to identify products from esteemed brands that meet quality standards, such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), USDA Organic, Kosher, USP, and UL testing, all subject to scrutiny by regulatory authorities. The recognized brands provide comprehensive product labeling, disclosing details about fillers, colors, sweeteners, and more, promoting transparency and building trust with consumers.
Examined
Allergens can lurk in various supplement products, and most users are unaware of the potential allergic reactions they may trigger. Even a small amount of allergen can lead to hypersensitivity. Project Serotonin aims to educate users about the nine major allergens—sesame, milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to improve allergen labeling in dietary supplements, making it easier for individuals with allergies to avoid products that may contain allergens. Project Serotonin takes user allergen inputs seriously and carefully assesses it against the nutrient support stack using the proprietary supplement knowledge system.
Project Serotonin's proprietary supplement knowledge system facilitates the curation of intelligent nutrient stacks that exclude unnecessary sugars and talc, while accommodating users' dietary preferences, whether they follow a vegan, vegetarian, or mixed diet.
This system ensures the optimal dosage, formulation, and active ingredients in selected dietary supplements, delivering personalized clinical benefits tailored to an individual's genetics, comorbidities, age, gender, body weight, lifestyle, diet choices, and any other restrictions.
The Algorithm
Our algorithm includes 600 parameters per user profile, periodic blood test based assessments, and our knowledge system-derived inputs to build personalized supplement stacks to address many health objectives. In addition to nutrient optimization, we also address health parameters like HbA1c, homocysteine, hs-CRP and ApoB. Project Serotonin also has algorithms for specific health goals like lean muscle mass maintenance, VO2max, stress relief, women’s health, men’s health, and sleep support.
Cohesive Evaluation of Diverse Health Metrics: Optimization of serum nutrient levels and levels of specific key health markers is the primary goal of the Serotonin algorithm. Anthropometric parameters like weight, BMI and body composition metrics are considered to understand nutritional needs of an individual. Blood biomarker readouts are then factored in to customize the nutritional inputs to the present, measured health, and nutritional status of an individual.
Additionally, genetic factors that determine the predisposition of an individual towards nutrient sufficiency or health parameter dysfunction are then factored into the algorithm for every profile. Weightage of evidence from published clinical trials is used to fine-tune choices of dietary supplement ingredients, formulations and dosages that are required for every profile. Inputs from personal health history and family health history are also considered in the choice of formulation and dosages of nutrients that are chosen for an individual. Healthy lifestyle practices such as exercise performance patterns, and sleep patterns are also factored in with appropriate weightage for the choice of nutrients and herbals for specific health aspirations and nutrient sufficiency status. We also account for nutrient depletion resulting from leisure lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and occasional recreational substance usages.
Most importantly, we evaluate the negative interactions of supplements with prescription medications and eliminate all choices that can lead to even the mildest of adverse events. This ensures high safety of the program stack.
Personal choices like diet, food allergies and other consumption preferences are considered to finally translate the ingredient, formulation and dosage choices into the most accurate supplement product fit from the ones that are available in the market. Evidence from scientific studies is also used to create a precise regimen for synergistic consumption of dietary supplements, in order to maximize the beneficial effects on human health.
Our algorithm is brand agnostic, and therefore we create heterogenous stacks using products from many high quality brands that suit the health needs of every individual.
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Periodic assessments of human health & continuous longitudinal monitoring are therefore at the heart of the Project Serotonin program and algorithm. Our algorithm is a novel, progressive, iteratively learning system that accommodates the changing volume of clinical evidence, anthropometric measurements, user experience, clinical readouts and genetics to create new personalized nutrient inputs for every user at every stage of the program. This ‘Adaptive Integration’ mode of the algorithm makes it possible to include more knowledge inputs such as AI-enabled analytics, metabolomics and other knowledge systems in the future.
The algorithm is version controlled and updated every three months to include learnings from data analysis and therefore delivers highly precise outputs for each user in every phase of the program. The algorithm is able to simultaneously analyze weighted inputs from multiple user parameters, fitness bands, product market as well as updated knowledge from genomics and clinical trials. The data hierarchy used in the Serotonin algorithm has been independently validated by data models suggested by an AI/ML system as well.
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is a protein that is found on the surface of lipoproteins, which are particles that transport cholesterol and other fats in the blood. ApoB is the main structural component of atherogenic lipoproteins, which are lipoproteins that can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
ApoB: A Critical Marker of Cardiovascular Health
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is a protein that is found on the surface of lipoproteins, which are particles that transport cholesterol and other fats in the blood. ApoB is the main structural component of atherogenic lipoproteins, which are lipoproteins that can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries. Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease characterized by the buildup of plaque in the arteries. This plaque can narrow and block the arteries, reducing blood flow to the heart and other organs. Elevated ApoB levels are a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and can lead to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.
A growing body of evidence suggests that ApoB is a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular risk than LDL cholesterol, which is the traditional measure of cholesterol levels in the blood. This is because ApoB provides a direct measure of the number of atherogenic lipoprotein particles in the circulation, while LDL cholesterol only measures the amount of cholesterol carried by these particles. People with lower apoB levels had a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), even after accounting for their LDL or non-HDL cholesterol levels. This shows that apoB provides additional information about cardiovascular risk beyond what is provided by traditional cholesterol measurements..
Elevated apoB (≥130 mg/dL) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially in people with triglycerides ≥200 mg/dL. An apoB level of ≥130 mg/dL is equivalent to an LDL-C level of >160 mg/dL, which is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Board of Directors and American College of Endocrinology (ACE) recommends that people at increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), including those with diabetes, should aim for an apoB level below 90 mg/dL. People with established ASCVD or diabetes plus one or more additional risk factors should aim for an apoB level below 80 mg/dL. People at extreme risk of ASCVD should aim for an apoB level below 70 mg/dL.
Overall, ApoB is an important biomarker for cardiovascular risk and a potential therapeutic target. If you are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, your doctor may recommend measuring your ApoB levels. At Project Serotonin, we believe in preventive health, which means identifying and mitigating early risk factors for disease before they become serious health conditions. For most people, a desirable ApoB level is less than 90 mg/dl. However, for those with a high genetic risk of cardiovascular disease, we recommend aiming for an ApoB level of less than 70 mg/dl. Furthermore, a number of conditions such as age, blood pressure, cholesterol imbalance, diabetes, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, family history can contribute to the increase in ApoB. At the preventive stage, ApoB can be managed by a personalized regimen of healthy diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle, and supplement consumption to arrest or minimize the risk.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. Inflammation is a normal bodily response to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can lead to a number of health problems, including cardiovascular disease.
hsCRP: A Critical Marker of Inflammation and Cardiovascular Risk
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. Inflammation is a normal bodily response to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can lead to a number of health problems, including cardiovascular disease
HsCRP is a sensitive marker of inflammation, and high levels of hsCRP have been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular events. Even people with normal cholesterol levels can have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease if they have high levels of hsCRP. In addition to cardiovascular disease, hsCRP has also been linked to an increased risk of other chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, conditions such as burns, surgery, trauma, chronic digestive conditions can also contribute to increased HsCRP.
HsCRP is produced by hepatocytes in response to proinflammatory cytokines, particularly interleukin-6. Numerous studies have shown that CRP serves as a robust and independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. This includes conditions such as myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and sudden cardiac death, both in individuals with and without diagnosed coronary heart disease. HsCRP plays a key role in many aspects of atherogenesis. It activates the complement pathway, a series of proteins that play a role in inflammation and immunity. This can lead to the formation of plaque in the arteries. Furthermore, it promotes the uptake of lipids by macrophages, a type of white blood cell, to take up lipids, such as cholesterol. This can lead to the formation of foam cells, which are a key component of plaque
HsCRP levels can be measured with a simple blood test. The test is typically recommended for people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, such as those with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease. The optimal hsCRP level is less than 1 mg/L. People with HsCRP levels between 1 and 3 mg/L have an intermediate risk of cardiovascular disease, and those with levels above 3 mg/L have a high risk. At Project Serotonin, we take a preventive measure by further microbanding the HsCRP levels, and monitor it closely along with your genetic risk factors, underlying comorbidities, family history, health incidents, lifestyle, and medications to provide a personalized regimen for controlling HsCRP. To prevent high HsCRP levels, we suggest a personalized plan that includes a healthy diet, exercise, regular sleep, healthy lifestyle habits, and carefully crafted supplement stacks.
Iron is an essential mineral that must be consumed in our diet to ensure optimal functioning of our bodies. It serves as a fundamental component of both hemoglobin and myoglobin and plays a pivotal role in a diverse array of vital metabolic processes.
Understanding Your Iron Status
Iron is an essential mineral that must be consumed in our diet to ensure optimal functioning of our bodies. It serves as a fundamental component of both hemoglobin and myoglobin and plays a pivotal role in a diverse array of vital metabolic processes. These encompass oxygen transport, DNA synthesis, energy generation, cognitive acuity and concentration, gastrointestinal functions, immune system support, and the regulation of body temperature.
It is also an essential component of cytochromes P450 (CYP450), a large heme enzyme superfamily, which is crucial for metabolism of a wide range of xenobiotic substrates, including drugs, alcohol, hormones, and toxins.
However, being a transition metal, iron exists only in minute quantities in all living cells, where it actively engages in oxidation-reduction reactions vital to energy metabolism. This sets iron apart from other nutrients, given that typical biological functions necessitate precise iron levels within a narrow, optimal range.
Lower concentrations may lead to nutritional deficiencies, while higher concentrations can result in overload. Iron overload disturbs redox balance and accelerates the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), giving rise to oxidative stress. This state is closely linked to tissue damage, ferroptotic cell demise, and consequential pathophysiological repercussions and diseases.
Numerous factors impact an individual's iron status, leading to significant variations in iron levels among people of the same age and gender. Therefore, instead of adopting a “one-size-fits-all” approach, which can be detrimental in case of Iron, a greater personalization is required to provide just the right amount of iron to maintain the fine balance for optimal functioning of our bodies.
Project Serotonin- Key parameters for assessing Iron status
Project Serotonin program considers following data points to understand the iron requirement of our users and after correlating it with their iron parameters recommends the “minimal effective dosage” of iron to maintain our users in the optimal zone:
In the human body, iron deficiency evolves through three stages, all stemming from an imbalance between the iron needed for red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) and the iron accessible from body reserves, diet, or gastrointestinal absorption.
Factors influencing Iron Status
Iron deficiency progresses through 3 states
In the human body, iron deficiency evolves through three stages, all stemming from an imbalance between the iron needed for red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) and the iron accessible from body reserves, diet, or gastrointestinal absorption.
Main pathogenic mechanisms of anemia
Foundational Health + Nutrient Optimization- Subclinical Iron Deficiency without Anemia
Under Project Serotonin’s nutrient optimization track, the program's objective is to identify and manage subclinical iron deficiency, which is characterized by the initial depletion of iron stores. To detect iron deficiency without anemia (IDWA), it utilizes a combination of iron profile indicators, including hemoglobin levels, serum ferritin, and transferrin saturation levels.
While iron deficiency stands as the predominant cause of clinical iron deficiency known as anemia, insufficiencies in other micronutrients like folate and vitamin B12, as well as various factors including chronic infection and inflammation, can give rise to distinct types of anemia or exacerbate their intensity.
Methylation is a chemical process that adds a methyl group (CH3) to biological molecules. It is a dynamic and critical cellular process that plays a role in a variety of functions, including gene expression, protein function, and DNA repair.
Methylation
Methylation is a chemical process that adds a methyl group (CH3) to biological molecules. It is a dynamic and critical cellular process that plays a role in a variety of functions, including gene expression, protein function, and DNA repair.
Methylation changes occur throughout life, but they are particularly pronounced during aging. As we age, DNA methylation levels tend to decrease globally, while methylation levels at specific gene sites increase. These changes in DNA methylation can lead to changes in gene expression and protein function, which can contribute to the aging process and age-related diseases. These changes can contribute to the aging process and age-related diseases. For example, decreased methylation of DNA repair genes can lead to an accumulation of DNA damage, which can increase the risk of cancer and other diseases. Conversely, increased methylation of tumor suppressor genes can silence these genes and promote tumor growth.
DNA methylation changes can also affect cellular functions such as autophagy and cellular senescence. Autophagy is a cellular process that removes damaged organelles and proteins, while cellular senescence is a state of cell cycle arrest that occurs in response to stress or damage. Both autophagy and cellular senescence are important for maintaining cellular health and preventing disease.
However, the activity of autophagy and cellular senescence declines with age. DNA methylation changes are thought to play a role in this decline. For example, increased methylation of autophagy genes can inhibit autophagy, while decreased methylation of cellular senescence genes can promote cellular senescence.
Overall, methylation changes play a significant role in the aging process. Supplements like B9 (folate) and B12 can help with methylation-related anti-aging by providing the body with essential nutrients that are necessary for methylation. Folate is a cofactor for DNA methyltransferase enzymes, which are responsible for adding methyl groups to DNA. B12 is a cofactor for methionine synthase, which is an enzyme that converts homocysteine to methionine. Methionine is a precursor to S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), which is the main methyl donor in the body
Personalizing Wellness: Harnessing AI and ML for Optimal Health
The human body is the result of code that is encoded in the DNA. There are four variables (AGTC) that are strung in succession, three billion times. 99.9% of this code is identical amongst humans with variation in just about 0.1% of the code. It is this variation that makes each of us unique, not just in our appearance but also in the way we respond to food, medication, stress, our environment and thereby how they impact our health status. While the influence of some of these factors are known, conventional science has a long way to go to develop a better, more deeper and comprehensive understanding.
Additionally, we also differ from one another on our physiological and behavioral profile(parameters like age, diet preferences, laboratory results, lifestyle, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, and sleep etc). This increases an individual’s uniqueness or the variation in a population. The total number of combinations that are possible (Genetic + Profile + Behavioral) cannot be factored in a manual assessment, even when conducted by highly trained healthcare specialists.
Thus, most of the current supplementation/lifestyle recommendations use a few aspects at the profile level (age, gender, weight, lab results) to devise protocols. Given how broad brushed the current systems are, only a very few respond to the prescribed protocols in the desired manner. While widely accepted and practiced, the level of personalization in this method is almost non-existent.
At Serotonin, we use real world data from our users to build models using Machine Learning and AI technology to recommend hyper-personalized programs and regimens unique to the user. These models factor in a user’s genetics, profile and behavioral parameters, using 800,000+ data points of each individual user in order to ascertain what is required to improve and maintain their optimal health status, and mitigate disease risk.
From our analysis we know that this combination of data points can significantly increase the accuracy of the models. An example of this is shown below.
These three figures show the best models created for Serum Vitamin D improvement prediction with supplementation. These models help personalize the effective dosage, formulation and specific product(brand) of the recommended supplement. Fig 1 shows the best model for predicting Serum Vitamin D using profile data only, Fig 2 uses genetic data only, and Fig 3 uses both genetic and profile data. All three models used the same training data set and test data for comparability of the models. The accuracy of the models is based on the Weighted Absolute Percentage Error (WAPE), that measures the overall deviation of forecasted values from the observed values. The most accurate model is highlighted by the lowest WAPE score (0.16) - which uses both profile and genetic data.
Smart Tray Hardware
The Serotonin Hub hardware is designed to be the centerpoint of your daily supplementation experience. Tucked seamlessly into your supplement box, the Hub is the point at which you tell us what you are taking, and where we provide instantaneous, actionable feedback about your daily supplements.
Interacting with the Hub is simple - just bring the tag on your supplements or other products to the center of the scanning pad and lower them to the surface. The front of the surface will light up in green to confirm that the scanner is active - followed by a double beep and green flash to confirm when supplement consumption has been logged.
The position of the hub is adjustable - with multiple depth settings available to support easy scanning of the products featured in your unique stack.
The onboard battery in the Hub will last for months, and when it is time to charge, you’ll receive a notification on your phone via the Serotonin app. You don’t have to worry about keeping track of a special cable to charge the Hub, any USB-C charger will do the trick.
Lightning fast supplement scans are enabled by our deeply integrated NFC front end and speed optimized firmware.
Any USB-C charger will work to refuel the 2000 MaH battery embedded in the Smart Tray.
The proximity sensor at the center of the Pad quickly wakes up the NFC scanner when something comes close, regardless of light conditions.
The Nordic NRF52832 System-On-Module at the heart of the Smart Tray ensures quick interactions and seamless Bluetooth interactions with your phone, including over the air firmware updates.
A ring of bi-color LEDs and a tiny speaker confirm your interactions with the Smart Tray.
We developed a custom Bluetooth low energy protocol to maximize the flexibility of the Smart Tray. During pairing or firmware updates, the Smart Tray and phone operate in a symmetrical, paired connection. During normal daily use, the device switches to a Bluetooth advertising mode, chirping out codes representing whatever supplement consumption events are queued, until your phone confirms that it is synchronized. This helps maximize the battery life of the Smart Tray, while ensuring that your supplementation history is faithfully shared with the app.
The ultra-slim enclosure of the Smart Tray tracker consists of two CNC machined and anodized 6061 Aluminum components, and three glass filled resin 3d prints, manufactured in over 1000 tiny layers.
Gen 1 Tracker
We settled on an accelerometry based model for tracking - using a recurrent neural network written in low level code to make probability judgements on the likelihood that any series of movements represented a use event. Our Gen 1 Tracker was the first generation of hardware to enable this approach, with a back that slid off for a user replaceable battery, and replaceable adhesive mounts to carry the tracker forward as bottles were emptied.
Gen 2 Tracker
Learning from Gen 1 of the Tracker, we created Gen 2 - with an easy to replace battery module, and refined injection molded enclosure, the Gen 2 Tracker was the first to be deployed to all Serotonin users.
Gen 3 Tracker
To reduce the waste associated with bottle changeovers, and to create a unified experience between hardware and app, we transitioned to an NFC based tracking model. Generation 3 of our tracker was designed to support this experience, as standalone hardware with a dedicated area for the phone to be positioned during use.
Gen 4 Tracker
To more deeply integrate the scanning and consumption experiences, we made a new version of the NFC scanner that is unified with the tray in which users receive and store their supplement stack, transforming the tray into a Smart Tray.
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