South Dakota State University and Sanford Health have partnered to conduct collaborative research on human nutrition, weight management and other dietary-related areas. This research will address key objectives of the Profile by Sanford ® program.
Profile is a weight-management program that uses customized meal plans and health coaches. It was developed by Sanford physicians and researchers.
Through the partnership, SDSU researchers will have opportunities to collaborate with investigators from Sanford Research on topics like metabolism, food choices and consumption, prenatal nutrition, genetics, food manufacturing and nutritional interactions with the human microbiome. Research findings relevant to Profile will be considered as the program evolves and expands.
Sanford Health will provide $250,000 annually for five years for the seed-grant program. Also, SDSU is requesting an additional $200,000 through the South Dakota Board of Regents Research and Development Innovation program to bring the total collaboration with Sanford to $450,000 for the 2015 fiscal year.
“This partnership really is about people and communities,” said Kevin Kephart, the university’s vice president for research. “By combining our efforts and resources, SDSU and Sanford are building on a solid foundation of ongoing research and a strong, existing relationship. The resulting synergy will help improve quality of life and better serve the public good throughout South Dakota and the region.”
The Profile system utilizes meal-replacement products, nutritionally complete foods, qualified health coaches and client tracking of body weight, blood pressure and physical activity through smart wireless technology. A clinical and scientific advisory board comprised of 10 Sanford physicians and researchers oversaw the development of Profile.
“Profile by Sanford is based on the latest clinical and scientific evidence,” said Rich Adcock, president of Sanford Frontiers, which developed Profile. “The goal of this program is to significantly expand our research and developing efforts with a world class university; the collaboration between Sanford and SDSU is a natural fit because of the university’s mission as a leading land-grant research institution.”
Seed-grant proposals are due July 29, and recipients will be announced in September.