UNC Wilmington Receives Technology Enhancement Grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for Natural Sea Product Safety Study

The 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).

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Hydrolysed collagen may boost beauty from within

Since 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

Neptune 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

Marinomed 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.

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