Plexus Worldwide Joins Personalized Nutrition Initiative at the University of Illinois

Plexus Worldwide has joined the external partners program in the Personalized Nutrition Initiative at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I).

Personalized Nutrition Initiative is a campus-wide research initiative at U of I that brings together roughly 75 affiliated faculty across 24 departments spanning nutrition, food science, medicine, data science, and AI, focused on advancing personalized nutrition through evidence-based science. Additionally, Dr. Ren-Hau Lai, PhD, Vice President of Product Innovation at Plexus and a U of I alum, has been appointed to the external advisory committee of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative.

“Personalized nutrition is moving quickly from research into everyday practice, and the science is still being written,” said Lai. “Being part of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative puts Plexus alongside the researchers doing that work and alongside other organizations across the food, nutrition, and health sectors who share the same commitment to evidence. That commitment to scientific rigor helps ensure that what we develop is not only innovative, but also meaningful and trustworthy for our community.”

The partnership is a natural fit for Plexus. Gut health and personalized nutrition are deeply linked, and science has only scratched the surface of how to best serve consumers who want to manage their overall health by supporting their gut microbiome.

“We are excited to have Plexus Worldwide join our External Partners Program. Through the program, it brings together leaders across food, agriculture, health, and technology sectors to solve shared challenges in a partner-driven environment,” stated Dr. Sharon Donovan, PhD, RD, DFASN, Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative at U of I.

Stuart MacMillan, Plexus Chief Executive and Growth Officer, added, “Gut health is personal. We are aiming to become the number one gut health company in the world by personalizing the journey for each Brand Ambassador and customer, one microbiome at a time. Joining the Personalized Nutrition Initiative at U of I connects our work to world-class science and helps us make nutrition genuinely personal for the people we serve. This is a true partnership where each strengthens the other.”