In conversation with our sciencepreneurs: Alberto Noronha, NIUM

07 June 2024

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Personalised nutrition to better understand metabolism and health

Assessing the impact of new products on our health is vital for companies marketing them. NIUM provides technology and personalised nutrition solutions for a better understanding of metabolism and health.

After almost 10 years at the University of Luxembourg, first as a PhD student and then as a research associate, Alberto Noronha is now the CEO of the startup NIUM. Together with Adam Selamnia, they founded the spin-off company of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg in 2019 which develops personalised nutrition solutions to enable a better understanding of metabolism and health.

Understanding the microbiome, metabolism, and health

NIUM works with companies to help them develop healthier food products to improve the food ecosystem. On the research side, NIUM also collaborates with local and foreign institutions to develop tools to help citizens adopt healthier diets and use nutrition as a tool to improve their health.

The spin-off offers technologies to assess the impact of new products on health, by providing:

Bioinformatics and modelling with the analysis of clinical or experimental data for nutrition to understand the impact of ingredients on metabolism and gut microbiota;
Experimental models with in vitro experiments and gut-on-a-chip models to generate evidence on the health impact of ingredients and foods;
Personalised nutrition for clinical application through a digital solution for healthcare providers to better manage patients and support therapeutic strategies.

Luxembourg, a place for translating research into innovation

Luxembourg offers many opportunities for researchers who wish to translate scientific research into innovation, facilitating the pathway to commercialisation through the creation of companies.

A few years ago, NIUM benefited from a proof-of-concept grant (JUMP programme) from the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR). NIUM has also been supported by the University of Luxembourg’s Incubator and Entrepreneurship Programme and is now housed in the brand new House of Biohealth incubator. This facility also hosts several other startups, including OrganoTherapeutics and ITTM, both spin-offs originating from Luxembourg’s public research institutions.

Going from research to starting a company is a very difficult exercise with a lot of uncertainty. It is also the most rewarding and educational experience I have had.
Alberto Noronha

Multidisciplinary and Multinational Luxembourg

Like many other researchers who have chosen Luxembourg to pursue their research careers, Alberto Noronha particularly enjoys two aspects of Luxembourg: the interdisciplinary dimension, which is strongly encouraged across all institutions and projects within the Research Luxembourg ecosystem, and the international environment of the country, which is not only visible in the research landscape but everywhere in everyday life in Luxembourg.