VIOVOC, the wellness platform that helps users master their gut health by working with their own biology, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued Patent No. 12,761,175 entitled, “Method and Apparatus for Remote Monitoring of Various Organic Compounds” covering technology that passively detects signals from a user’s gut microbiome and translates them into personalized guidance on fermentable fiber intake.
The patent protects core technology behind VIOVOC’s first-of-its-kind ambient air bathroom sensor and proprietary Virtual Fiber Coach, part of the company’s wellness platform designed to help users master their weight and gut health by working with their own biology.
VIOVOC’s technology is entirely passive and noninvasive, without requiring samples, test kits, or logging of food intake. Ambient bathroom air enters the device housing, where a metal oxide sensor film detects the change in electrical resistance caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in that air. That measurement is then securely transmitted wirelessly to a web server, which compares it against a personalized baseline associated with the individual user and determines a set of curated dietary recommendations associated with that user’s intestinal microbiome. Dedicated buttons on the device allow each member of a household to be tracked independently.
The science underlying VIOVOC’s new patented device is well established: bacteria in the gut microbiome ferment dietary fiber into short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, propionate and acetate, along with other volatile organic compounds that vaporize into the air. Measuring those compounds has traditionally required gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, a complex, expensive process not suited to mass distribution, which the patented device replaces with a noninvasive instrument that can be deployed widely.
“For 35 years in clinical gastroenterology, I heard patients being told to just eat less or cut carbs, and watched the scale refuse to budge,” said Dr. Lawrence Kosinski, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VIOVOC and the named inventor on the patent. “Our bodies have been sending us the answer all along — we simply weren’t listening. This patent protects our ability to decode that signal and hand it back to people as something they can act on at their next meal.”
“What makes this technology remarkable is how little it asks of the user,” said Dr. Anton Decker, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of VIOVOC. “There are no samples to collect or mail, no wearable to remember, no diary to keep. The sensor simply sits in the room and works. Protecting that experience with a granted U.S. patent is a meaningful milestone for a company built on the belief that transformation should actually improve lives, not complicate them.”
Among other things, the patented technology protects the calculation of a user’s V-Factor, and the generation of a fermentable fiber score shown in relation to a personalized target range called the V-Zone. The Virtual Fiber Coach then selects a curated list of V-Foods — the fiber-rich foods that nourish a user’s particular microbiome personalized to the users V-Factor. Fermentable fiber supports the body’s own GLP-1 production, making the platform a natural companion for users pursuing weight management with or without GLP-1 medication.
VIOVOC will soon be available in select practices across the United States. The application that issued as U.S. Patent No. 12,761,175 was filed on July 21, 2023, and claims priority to a provisional application filed on July 22, 2022.
About VIOVOC
VIOVOC helps people master their gut health and live longer, better lives by working with their biology rather than against it. The company’s first-of-its-kind ambient air bathroom sensor reads the unique signals of a user’s gut microbiome and guides its proprietary Virtual Fiber Coach in advising users on which fiber foods nourish that microbiome. VIOVOC was founded by Dr. Lawrence Kosinski, a gastroenterologist with 35 years of clinical practice and co-founder of the largest GI practice in Illinois; Dr. Anton Decker, former President of Mayo Clinic International; and Prabhu Sadasivam, Vice President of Technology at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.
VIOVOC is for wellness purposes only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional. For more information, visit www.viovoc.com.
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