Engineering meets science: Purdue collaboration aims to personalize nutrition through digital health
09-18-2025
Metabolic diseases such as diabetes affect millions worldwide- profoundly impacting health, quality of life, and healthcare costs. Yet most dietary guidance relies on generalized recommendations and intermittent blood tests, which can miss real-time changes in metabolism that are critical for personalized care. A new project led by Purdue University faculty aims to change that.
Wenzhuo Wu, professor of industrial engineering in the College of Engineering, and Guang Lin, Moses Cobb Stevens professor of mathematical sciences in the College of Science, are co-principal investigators on NOURISH, an NSF-funded grant to develop real-time digital twin technology for personalized nutrition. Working in partnership with Chi Zhang, associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University, the team is building a system that continuously tracks multiple metabolic indicators using wearable biosensors and advanced computational models.
“This project builds the groundwork for tools that could help people make smarter, more personal choices about what and when to eat — without disrupting daily life,” Wu said.
Building a “virtual you”
The NOURISH system will combine three components:
- Wearable sensors: Wu’s team is developing a small, comfortable patch that captures subtle metabolic signals in real time. The sensors, based on advanced nanoscale materials, will be integrated into FDA-approved continuous glucose monitors and track multiple biomarkers, including glucose, lactate, amino acids, and other clinically relevant molecules.
- Digital twins: Lin’s group creates computational models that simulate whole-body metabolism. The models will use data from the sensors, updated in real time, to predict how an individual’s body responds to meals, activity, and sleep. Probabilistic AI algorithms could translate these predictions into personalized nutritional guidance.
- Validation and AI coaching: Initial validation occurs in controlled studies with healthy volunteers. Once tested, the system could deliver suggestions for meal timing, composition, or activity, along with a measure of confidence in each recommendation, all while protecting individual privacy.
“Think of it like a weather app,” Lin said. “Our digital twins could improve as new sensor data comes in. The more information they receive, the better they could predict an individual’s metabolic responses.”
From one-size-fits-all to individualized care
Traditional nutrition approaches often fail to account for individual variation in metabolism. NOURISH would allow for personalized guidance by simulating the effects of dietary choices on a digital twin before trying them in real life.
The technology also has broad applications across industries. Clinicians could tailor diet plans based on a patient’s unique metabolic profile. Digital health companies can use the models to evaluate products more efficiently. Biopharma and food innovators can prototype interventions in bias-audited synthetic cohorts before running expensive trials. Sports, telehealth, and workplace wellness programs could integrate minute-level metabolic feedback while ensuring data privacy.
“This is about creating the engine room for precision nutrition,” Wu said. “It’s a system that could learn from each person’s metabolism and provides guidance tailored to them.”
Bridging engineering, computation, and health
Wu’s research focuses on nanomanufacturing and wearable systems, developing technologies that combine novel materials with advanced fabrication techniques to enable AI-powered devices for health monitoring. Lin specializes in AI-driven digital twins, transforming wearable-sensor data into models capable of predicting systemic metabolic responses.
Together, they are building a platform that links hardware, computational modeling, and AI decision-making to address complex health challenges.
Beyond technology development, NOURISH also emphasizes workforce training and inclusivity. The project provides interdisciplinary opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers to learn advanced sensing, computational modeling, and AI tools, preparing a diverse and skilled workforce for biomedical innovation. AI is a foundational component of the Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence, a Purdue Computes initiative.
“This project not only advances technology but also helps train the next generation of scientists and engineers in personalized health,” Lin said.
Laying the foundation for future innovation
While still in its early stages, NOURISH sets the stage for next-generation personalized nutrition and metabolic health tools. By combining wearable biosensors, physics-informed digital twins, and AI-guided recommendations, the team is developing methods that could improve individualized care, support industry innovation, and inform regulatory science for precision nutrition.
“Our focus is on reliable sensing, models grounded in real complex biological systems, and fairness checks to ensure the tools work across diverse populations,” Lin said. “At the same time, privacy and transparency are central to everything we do.”
NOURISH’s deployment of wearable biosensors and AI-driven digital twin models for personalized nutrition also aligns closely with Purdue’s One Health initiative, which emphasizes integrating advanced technologies to improve human health outcomes. The project reflects One Health’s focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and workforce development, merging biosensor innovation with AI analytics to create new pathways for personalized healthcare solutions.
Ultimately, Wu and Lin envision a future where everyday health decisions — from what to eat to when to move — can be guided by technology that understands each person’s unique biology, laying the foundation for healthier lives and smarter nutrition choices.
About the College of Science
Purdue University’s College of Science is committed to the persistent pursuit of the mathematical and scientific knowledge that forms the very foundation of innovation. More than 350 tenure-track faculty conduct world-changing research and deliver a transformative education to more than 6,800 undergraduates and 1,800 graduate students. See how we develop practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges with degree programs in the life sciences, physical sciences, computational sciences, and mathematics at www.purdue.edu/science.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Writer: Alisha Willett, amwillet@purdue.edu
Source: Guang Lin, guanglin@purdue.edu, Wenzhuo Wu, wu966@purdue.edu