Novel Nutrition Research Methodologies and Technologies

Dr Ruan Elliott, University of Surrey

There are always promising new technological innovations that have the potential to enhance how we undertake nutrition research. Now, in particular, there seem to be so many opportunities that it can be a daunting task to try to keep up to pace. Examples include:

• A continuous stream of new laboratory analytical methods enabling us to take research to larger scale (e.g. high-throughput techniques and more comprehensive “omic” coverage) and smaller scale (e.g. single cell and subcellular analyses) than ever before

• Wearable technologies and apps for accurate activity and food intake capture as well as an everwidening range of metabolic analytes that can be measured using continuous biomonitoring

• Emerging study formats (e.g. n-of-1, adaptive, platform and umbrella designs)

• New bioinformatic, computational and artificial intelligence applications

Perhaps the biggest challenge is understanding what possibilities these innovations create and how best to apply them. Adopting new techniques is often not easy; it may require significant investment and nearly always involves a steep learning curve as well as some trial and error. It is not risk-free either as not all promising new technologies ultimately prove useful.

With the establishment of the Novel Nutrition Research Methodologies and Technologies Theme, the Society aims to support early adoption and effective use of new techniques amongst the nutrition research community.

We will invite leaders in the application of new approaches to Society conferences, to showcase their work and facilitate discussions around the applications of innovative techniques through all forums available to us. In

SIGs are intended to be flexible and to support innovative activities that will achieve your SIG’s objectives. These networks will be an excellent way to develop professional contacts and to share interests. Members may be involved with one or more SIGs.

Members can find out more, and propose a SIG via the Society’s website this regard, the creation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) could prove particularly useful.

This new theme is very broad and is likely to benefit from the development of a number of more focused activities through SIGs. If you are working in a specific scientific area that needs to adopt new techniques to address previously intractable research questions, or if you have particular interest and expertise in techniques that nutrition research would benefit from, why not consider setting up a SIG? The Society will be launching a call for SIGs soon, so now is the moment to think about the area you would like to champion.