Albert Di Rienzo, President & Chief Innovation Officer at One Health Group, was interviewed by host Adam Torres on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast.
Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify / Stitcher / RSS
In this interview, Albert Di Rienzo shares how One Health Group is bringing holistic, personalized healthcare to animals to help them live better lives.
Tell us about your journey.
In his 30 years of experience in medicine, Di Rienzo — who is also an AI-focused computer scientist and forensic scientist — has introduced more than 100 solutions used by major corporations such as Philips Medical and Siemens Medical. He’s also served as a professor at the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute at Syracuse University. One of thirteen people appointed to the National BioDefense Science Board, focusing on medical diagnostics ignited his passion for animal health. Spurred on by the lack of advancements he saw in veterinary medicine, he was motivated to found his fifth startup, One Health Group, five years ago.
What drew you to animal health as your fifth startup?
The intersection of humans, animal health, and environmental variables, Di Rienzo notes, impacts both humans and animals via disease. While the human health sector has made much progress over time, he says veterinary advancements have been far slower in increasing the quality and longevity of animals’ lives.
Pointing out a 12-13% loss rate when calves or piglets are born, he notes the effect it has on farmers and producers through its impact on dairy products and feedstock supply. Clinical and pharmaceutical researchers who conduct rodent testing are also affected by the void in medical advancements for companion and production animals, he says, and notes that it’s part of what led him to launch One Health Group.
Tell us about the One Health Group.
One Health Group focuses on bringing breakthrough animal care solutions to the market for screening, monitoring, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Di Rienzo says the ultimate goal is to provide better clinical outcomes for animals by putting the right tools, like Voyce, into the hands of veterinarians.
Watch Full Interview:
What is Voyce, and how does it support animal care?
Di Rienzo says Voyce is a holistic data-acquisition solution including an ounce-weighed, non-contact sensor. It collects context-based bio-medical data from animals, and can be embedded in the collars, harnesses, feeders, exam tables, or held by hand. The sensor presents its information via a mobile app and cloud-based dashboard providing predictive analytics. The idea, he says, is to facilitate early interventions to extend the quality and longevity of animals’ lives.
The care flow feature of Voyce automatically programs the sensor to retrieve whatever data a caretaker or professional wants to collect, he notes. The device may be used in a clinic or taken home for monitoring and data collection in a non-invasive manner. It essentially makes a veterinarian’s job easier, he says, as animals are good at masking pain, while the sensor gives them a voice in a way.
As for marketing, Di Rienzo says One Health Group has adopted a hybrid model. “We’ll distribute it to other animal health companies and become an innovation engine with 70+ issued patents, 6 licensed patents, and 20 pending patents, so we can be an innovation engine,” he says. “Taking it to the market and building sales channels ourselves is another action plan.”.
What’s next for you?
Di Rienzo says he’s working on his 5+ year product roadmap to bring a positive impact to the animal health space. One Health Group offers expertise in ultra-wideband radar, its primary data collection mechanism, so he says the company will continue expanding through patents.
To learn more about One Health Group, visit onehealthgroup.com or follow the company on LinkedIn. To learn more about Albert Di Rienzo, email [email protected].
