What You Should Know:
– Seed Healthv, a microbial sciences company, announced the acquisition of Auggi, a digital health company with a suite of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to track and analyze digestive health.
– As part of the acquisition, Seed Health will acquire Auggi’s technology assets, including its AI algorithm for real-time Bristol stool typing, the world’s largest stool image database, and a mobile monitoring application for clinical research.
– Auggi’s (augmented gastroenterology) deep learning algorithms for automated stool image detection and consistency characterization utilize computer vision and deep convolutional neural networks to objectively quantify and characterize an individual’s stool over time.
– The acquisition will also enable Seed Health to integrate Auggi’s mobile tracking application across their human clinical trials assessing DS-01™ and the gut microbiota in IBS, constipation, and after antibiotic consumption. Study participants can quickly and efficiently report day-to-day gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life inputs, whereas previous GI-related clinical research has relied on often inconsistent and inaccurate manual reporting. This technology is currently deployed in Seed Health’s ongoing Phase II randomized, triple-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate the role of the gut microbiome in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
– Seed plans to launch its first consumer-focused digital product utilizing the AI and stool database in 2021, and is also currently testing a unique companion tracking and educational experience for its flagship probiotic, DS-01™, to improve adherence, outcomes, and retention.
