A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, Nutrigenomics, features profiles of AlphaGenics Inc., NutraGenomics Inc. and WellGen Inc. Plus these Start-Ups across Health Care: Crystalplex Corp., GlycoFi Inc., NDO Surgical Inc. and Serenex Inc.

Paths to commercialization are uncertain in nutrigenomics, an emerging science which seeks to identify gene-food interactions that differ among subpopulations and between individuals and to personalize diets to prevent disease.

These days, consumers reach for calcium-fortified orange juice to keep bones healthy, whole-grain Cheerios that reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, and bags of walnuts that advertise Omega 3, for heart health. The founders of WellGen believe the time is right to push the frontier of food science into medicine. With a patent from Rutgers University, WellGen will screen food substances against genes implicated in diseases.