Rosetta@oru

The KK Foundation Profile Rosetta@oru is an eight-year multidisciplinary research project funded by the Knowledge Foundation (Kunskapsstiftelsen). The research is primarily focused on understanding the benefits of foods and dietary supplements for gut, metabolic, and mental health, and determining who benefits from specific dietary changes throughout life (responders) and who does not (non-responders).

Within the project, an internationally leading set of validated methods and models—a research toolbox—is being developed and applied in areas including wheat-related intestinal injury, inflammatory conditions and metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and affective and behavioral disorders.

Another key focus area is the development of novel designs for experimental and intervention studies. The project is carried out in collaboration with several private and public partners and is also an integral part of the Responsive Nutrition research center and Örebro University's strategic initiative in Food and Health.

Rosetta@oru strives toward the vision that consumers should be able to independently choose foods that provide scientifically proven health benefits. The fundamental question is: Which diet or dietary supplements provide specific health benefits for a particular individual, and when?

Without this knowledge, consumers cannot know which diet is beneficial for them during a specific stage of life, and the food industry cannot know which foods need to be developed and produced to meet the needs of different consumers. The path to such knowledge is known as precision nutrition, which forms part of the broader concept of precision health.

The primary objective is to identify a set of internationally leading and validated methods and models for studying and evaluating the health benefits associated with diet and dietary supplements from the perspectives of gut health, metabolic health, and mental health.

The specific research areas that the project initially concentrates on are:

• Wheat-associated enteropathy
• Inflammation and metabolic disorders
• Neurodegenerative disorders
• Affective and behavioral disorders

The Rosetta@oru project depends on strong and trustworthy collaboration with a number of academic, industrial, and public-sector partners, providing the foundation for a shared responsibility in addressing the identified challenges.