Award-Winning Fatty15 Rounds Out Year With Robust Third-Party Backed Science & Quality

Fatty15, a Groundbreaking C15:0 Supplement Developed With the Support of a Decade of U.S. Navy Funding, Lands a Big Year of Third-Party Validated Science, Claims, and Quality

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- What started as an endeavor to continually improve the health of older Navy dolphins resulted in a decade of C15:0 science, over 100 peer-reviewed studies, and fatty15, an award-winning C15:0 supplement that became Inc. 5000's 2025 #1 fastest growing supplement company and 5th fastest growing consumer product company in America.

"Office of Naval Research funding has enabled our unwavering commitment to robust science and our groundbreaking fatty15 C15:0 supplement," shared Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, co-CEO and co-founder of Seraphina Therapeutics. "We have followed our military roots to identify a high-priority need, figure out how to fix it, and then fix it. Wonderfully, this effort has culminated in the past year's third-party validation of fatty15's science, claims, and high quality."

Fatty15 was developed by Seraphina's co-founders, Drs. Eric and Stephanie Venn-Watson, a husband-wife, physician-veterinarian entrepreneurial duo and military family. Eric recently retired from the military after 29 years of service as a Navy and Marine Corps physician, including three wartime deployments. Stephanie was serving as a veterinary epidemiologist with the Navy when she discovered that about 1 in 3 older Navy dolphins were developing a cluster of aging-associated conditions similar to those found in older humans, including insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, hyperlipidemia, anemia, iron overload, and fatty liver disease.

Office of Naval Research (ONR) funding supported modified diet and metabolomics studies, which led to the discovery of C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid) as the top nutrient that predicted the healthiest aging dolphins. C15:0 is an odd-chain saturated fatty acid present in whole dairy fat, as well as some types of fish and meat. Over the following years, ONR Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) helped to fund critical lab-based studies, which resulted in the discovery of C15:0 as the first essential fatty acid to emerge in over 90 years, since omega-3.

This work also resulted in the discovery and detailed pathophysiology of a nutritional C15:0 deficiency syndrome, named Cellular Fragility Syndrome. Studies show that low C15:0 levels result in weakened cell membranes, ferroptosis (a new form of cell death first discovered by scientists at Columbia University), accelerated aging, and impaired red blood cell, liver, metabolic, and immune function. With these discoveries, ONR SBIR funding supported the Venn-Watsons' development of a pure C15:0 supplement to achieve optimal C15:0 levels and support long-term healthy aging. The resulting product, fatty15, was launched in 2021.

During 2025, C15:0's role as an essential nutrient was further supported by an independent team of researchers, who applied the same nutritional deficiency model used to confirm the first two essential fatty acids nearly a century ago. Another team showed that piglets, a common model for human neonates, fed pure C15:0-fortified infant formula had better average daily growth, improved mitochondrial function, and improved gut health compared to non-C15:0-supplemented piglets. Previously, a separate team demonstrated that pure C15:0 alone, absent of all other nutrients, enabled normal neurological development in C. elegans. Additionally, another independent team published a study during 2025 revalidating how pure C15:0 supplementation reverses all key components of the described nutritional C15:0 deficiency syndrome, including protecting against ferroptosis and restoring healthy red blood cell, liver, and immune function in a third preclinical model.

Multiple long-term human studies published during 2025 further supported C15:0 as a core nutrient that protects healthy growth and development, as well as healthy aging. A team in France published a longitudinal cohort study of mother-infant pairs, showing that mothers with higher C15:0 levels in their red blood cells and colostrum during and after pregnancy were more likely to have children with better overall cognitive scores and language abilities. Among adults, a prospective cohort meta-analysis including 27 studies following over 100,000 people from the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia over multiple years showed a dose-response relationship between higher C15:0 and protected long-term metabolic health. Specifically, every 0.1% increase in C15:0 levels was associated with a 32% improved protection of long-term metabolic health. Another meta-analysis published during 2025 showed a similar result. These studies align with multiple previously published prospective cohort meta-analyses associating higher C15:0 and protected long-term metabolic and cardiovascular health.

"These massive long-term and dose-dependent human studies, paired with gold-standard experimental studies, strongly support that C15:0 is not only associated with better health, but is responsible for it," said Dr. Eric Venn-Watson. "Understanding that populationwide C15:0 levels have been declining due to decreased dietary intake of dairy fat, we are increasingly encouraged by the mounting science that fatty15 can play an important role in restoring global health."

Today, there are over 100 peer-reviewed studies, including seven randomized and controlled clinical trials, supporting C15:0 as a nutrient needed to enable healthy aging for all. The discovery and science behind C15:0 as a core healthy aging nutrient is the topic of Simon & Schuster's USA Today Bestselling book, The Longevity Nutrient, authored by Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson and released during March 2025. This fascinating story is also a TEDx talk.

During 2025, the totality of data, including C15:0's dose-dependent mechanisms of action; dose-dependent human cell-based and in vivo efficacy studies; repeated large prospective cohort meta-analyses; and clinical trials, was reviewed by independent third-party experts. These experts concluded that, based on the totality of data, fatty15's current supplement claims are backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence (CARSE), the highest bar of review for supplement claims.

In addition to validation of C15:0 and fatty15's science and claims by independent third parties, fatty15 also received an Excellent TrustScore of 9.63 from SuppCo, an independent group that evaluates the quality of supplements and enables consumers to find the most trusted supplements on the market.

Independent validation of fatty15's science, claims, and quality has not only been through third-party experts but also from numerous awards. During 2025, fatty15 won Mindful Awards' Best Overall Supplement (for the second year in a row), Global Health & Pharma's Best Essential Fatty Acid and Best Longevity Supplement Brand, Wellbeing Awards' Best Breakthrough Supplement, and Inc. 5000's 5th Fastest Growing Consumer Product Company in America. For her detailed discovery of a nutritional C15:0 deficiency syndrome that may explain the alarming rise in aging-associated conditions in younger people, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson was named a 2025 CNBC Changemaker. To date, Seraphina and fatty15 have won more than 20 awards, including FastCompany's World Changing Ideas (multiple years) and Newsweek's Readers' Choice Award for Best Supplement Brand.

"As a military family, Steph and I live by the importance of identifying and responsibly addressing the most pressing on-the-ground needs," said Dr. Eric Venn-Watson. "This approach, along with a decade of Navy funding, enabled us to bring fatty15 to the world and help support healthy aging for all."

About Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc.: Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc. is a health and wellness company dedicated to advancing global health through essential nutrients and longevity-supporting geroprotectors, including fatty15, an award-winning C15:0 supplement. Through rigorous science, the company develops fatty acid supplements to strengthen cells, keep mitochondria working, and advance cellular homeostasis to counter age-related breakdown. With its team of industry-leading scientists, Seraphina Therapeutics challenges long-held approaches to nutrition, enabling the creation of novel health products designed to support quality of life. For more information, please visit DiscoverC15.com and fatty15.com.

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SOURCE Seraphina Therapeutics