The intestinal
microbiota is the set of microorganisms that, as the name suggests, live in our
intestines. Their presence is a key factor in our immune system and our
nutrition. A relationship has been found between alterations in the microbiota
and the appearance of health disorders such as asthma, obesity, fatty liver disease, celiac disease and irritable bowel. Knowing the state and composition of our intestinal
microbiota makes it possible to act on it to improve our health.
With this objective in mind, the young
biotechnologist María Pía Campot Moreira has created the start-up Enteria. This biotech company takes fecal samples from the user, analyzes the microbial genome, and uses these results to give personalized recommendations that have an impact on intestinal bacteria and improve health. For this development, Campot has been chosen as one of the Innovators under 35 Latin America 2020 chosen by MIT Technology Review in Spanish.
"At the scientific
level, a relationship was detected between what happens in a person's intestine
and their health, but this information remains in academia. We want to give
people new tools to feel better and improve their quality of life through the
modulation of the microbiota," explains the innovator. Enteria "seeks ways to apply what is known at the scientific level to people's real lives so that it has a real impact on society," she adds.
Enteria is still in the process of reaching the Uruguayan microbial DNA sequencing market. When commercialized, its analyses will determine the proportion of different microorganisms living in our bodies and any imbalance detected will be resolved through diet, antibiotics, probiotics, or even fecal transplantation. Campot's mission is to reach Latin America and develop more services to help rebalance the intestines of as many people as possible.
The biotechnologist's objective is to put her knowledge into practice and help people throughout their lives, not just on an ad hoc basis. "We want to support people throughout their lives with services tailored to each individual. We not only provide them with data, but also with recommendations to help them improve," the young woman emphasizes.
Her innovation brings together nutrition, research, microbiology, and medicine to give people a better quality of life. Campot is unraveling the life we have in our intestines in order to sustainably improve people's lives.
Lorena Pedraza, a professor from the Department of Chemical Sciences and Engineering at the Universidad Iberoamericana de México and member of the Innovators under 35 Latin America 2020 jury, believes that Enteria "can contribute to a proper diagnosis of certain diseases."
