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Archive for May, 2009
UNC Wilmington Receives Technology Enhancement Grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for Natural Sea Product Safety Study
Posted On: May 12, 2009The University of North Carolina Wilmington has received one of the first three Technology Enhancement Grants awarded by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. This new grant program, introduced in 2008, is designed to fund research studies at North Carolina universities and other research institutions that will enhance the ability to license specific research discoveries and technologies that have the potential to be marketed commercially.
At UNC Wilmington, the grant will be used to conduct a preliminary safety study for β-naphthoyl brevetoxin, a modified natural product from the sea, at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, one of the prominent contract research organizations conducting aerosol toxicity and efficacy. Developed through MARBIONC, a biotechnology-based economic development program administered through UNCW’s Center for Marine Science, this brevetoxin has potential applications in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD).
Hydrolysed collagen may boost beauty from within
Posted On: May 12, 2009Since the end of 2008, two clinical studies involving women in Japan and France have been commissioned by Rousselot to measure the effectiveness of Peptan™ Hydrolyzed collagen on skin health as well as subjective assessment.
Rousselot objectives were to precisely measure the effect of daily oral intake of 10g Peptan™ Hydrolyzed Collagen on skin and to evaluate its acceptability by users. The trials were performed in a 3 month period.
The double-blind randomized clinical studies versus placebo were carried on 80 healthy female subjects aged of 35 to 59. They were carried out by Dermscan in France and Souken in Japan, two global independent research organizations specialized in cosmetics and nutrition, having a unique approach for verifying product performance claims. Certified skin experts selected volunteers and assessed the mechanical measurements.
Moisturizing and anti aging effects as well as tolerance were measured using leading edge technologies and methods. Researchers come to the following conclusions: the results verify that regular intake of Peptan™ Hydrolysed Collagen improves the basic skin condition and structure: the skin is better hydrated, the number of micro relief furrows are reduced and the formation of deep wrinkles is prevented.
There is a growing body of science focusing on the potential benefits of nutrients to boost skin health from within, with lutein, lycopene, flavanol-rich chocolate, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) having been reported to improve skin health.
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Krill omega-3 wins EU Novel Foods approval
Posted On: May 12, 2009Neptune Technologies & Bioresources, has overcome a significant regulatory hurdle by gaining a hard-to-come-by Novel Foods approval for its proprietary, patented extract of the omega-3 rich, micro-sized marine creature.
It also gained EU PARNUTS (foods for particular nutritional uses) approval which, combined with the Novel Foods go-ahead, means Neptune’s NKO ingredient can be formulated into:
- Dietary Supplements
- Functional Foods
- Diet Meal Replacements
- Dietary Foods for Special Medical Purposes
Marinomed Granted European Patent for Antiviral Polymer
Posted On: May 12, 2009Marinomed Biotechnologie GmbH, a German company focused on the development of innovative therapies in the indications of virology and immunology, announced today that it has been granted European Patent No. 0001842546, entitled ‘Antiviral polymer’ by the European Patent Office. The patent, which was granted in March, covers the use of a specific polymer for the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of rhinovirus infections.
Dr Andreas Grassauer, CEO and co-founder of Marinomed, commented: “We are delighted that this first patent has been granted. This is the first of several patent applications that were filed in order to protect our intellectual property around products for the treatment of respiratory viruses.”
Marinomed has a pipeline of natural, mainly marine derived, compounds, for the treatment of respiratory illnesses and immunological disorders. The Company’s first product, the anti-viral nasal spray COLDAMARIS prophylactic which contains Carragelose®, was launched in 2008 for the prevention of and treatment of the common cold and viral-induced respiratory infections.
Ocean protein boosts memory, focus & concentration
Posted On: May 11, 2009Can a simple sea protein hold the key to preserving your memory? Scientists in Madison Wisconsin are saying yes! In a breakthrough that could affect the lives of millions of Americans over 40, researchers have discovered a protein from the depths of the ocean that could actually protect our brain cells as we age.
Robert Pastore, PhD, member of the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences, explains “as you age, you lose about 30,000 brain cells a day and that impacts every aspect of your life…how you think and how you feel.”
Recently, scientists made a significant breakthrough, locating a calcium-binding protein (CaBP) called “apoaequorin,” that can help with a healthier brain, sharper mind and clearer thinking. Fortunately, apoaequorin is in the same family or class of proteins as those found in humans. And in a strange twist, it comes from one of nature’s simplest organisms — the jellyfish.
Recently, a cutting-edge U.S. biopharmaceutical company, Quincy Bioscience, formulated this vital protein derived from jellyfish into a product called Prevagen®. It’s the first and only supplement that restores CaBP levels and protects your brain cells from the ravages of time.
Company believes it has a natural cure for dandruff from marine microbes
Posted On: May 11, 2009Scottish marine biotechnology company Aquapharm believes it has found a natural cure for dandruff in microbes in the sea off Scotland’s coast and is poised to strike a major deal with a European company that could add around £1m a year to the fledgling firm’s revenues.
Aquapharm, which is based at Dunstaffnage, near Oban, is developing a library of potential new drugs, treatments and antibiotics from the microbes found in marine environments. It identified the anti-fungal properties of the micro- organism after extensive research and is hopeful a commercial licensing deal will be struck in the global skincare and hair care markets over the next few months.
Cod muscles extract shown to decrease mortality in the mouse model, .
Posted On: May 11, 2009Treatment of cancer patients with anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (DOX) may be complicated by development of acute and chronic congestive heart failure (CHF), malignant arrhythmias and death. The aim of this study was to test whether an aqueous low molecular weight (LMW) extract from cod muscle decreases acute mortality in the mouse model of acute CHF caused by DOX. This effect may be mediated by cardioprotection through antioxidative mechanisms
Biodiesel Byproduct Converted Into Omega-3 Fatty Acids by Virginia Tech Researcher
Posted On: May 11, 2009Zhiyou Wen, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, found a way to grow these compounds using byproducts of the emerging biodiesel industry. He presented his findings at the 236th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia, Pa.
Marine DNA used to create improved optoelectronic devices
Posted On: May 11, 2009Made mainstream by its role in human-genome mapping, genetic-trait analysis, and forensics, deoxyribonucleic acid is also playing a role as a biopolymer for the creation of novel photonic devices.
Andrew Steckl and colleagues at the University of Cincinnati have used DNA to improve the efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for illumination and displays. To make efficient biopolymers, a better understanding is needed of the chemical composition of the DNA material as it is synthesized from its low-density water environment to a dryer, condensed state. “DNA’s natural environment is water, but 99% of the [optoelectronic] devices we work on are solid-state,” says Andrew Steckl. While DNA in solution is being explored for use in optofluidic devices, Steckl sees three critical areas of research necessary to establish the commercial viability of DNA biopolymer-based photonic devices: ensuring an adequate material supply, perfecting the conversion from water-soluble to organic-solvent-soluble DNA, and controlling the “wet-to-dry” transition and understanding its effect on the DNA structure and properties.
Marinomed Biotechnologie GmbH Has Been Awarded Top Prize Honoring Discovery of Antiviral Properties in a Natural Marine Product
Posted On: May 11, 2009The prestigious prize, presented by the Vienna branch of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, was awarded primarily in recognition of the speed at which the biotech company succeeded in turning its discovery into a marketable product. Through close cooperation with a partner company, the firm completed this process in just two years.
Carrageenan – a natural product from red seaweed, which has many uses in the food industry – has been exhaustively characterised. Or at least, that was the thinking up until 2005, when the Austrian biotechnology company Marinomed Biotechnologie GmbH discovered that Carrageenan has far more to offer than was previously thought. Not only does the natural substance provide the nasal mucous membrane with a long-lasting moist protective film (due to its high viscosity), it also protects against infections with common cold viruses. Due to its intimate understanding of the requisite development and approval processes, it took the company just two years to secure approval for a substance based on Carrageenan and its application in an innovative spray. Thanks to a collaboration with the Austrian company Sigmapharm Arzneimittel GmbH & CoKG, this substance is now available in Austrian pharmacies in the form of a nasal spray. It is the first product in the world to target the causes of the common cold.
The judging panel for Mercur 2008, the innovation award presented by the Vienna branch of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, decided to award Marinomed its top prize, worth 10,000 Euros, primarily because of how the company managed its discovery and went on to rapidly develop it.
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