ChromaDex Announces Two Patent Issuances for Novel Ingredient, Pterostilbene
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent #8,809,400 B2 (referred to as the '400 patent) and #8,841,350 B2 (referred to as the '350 patent) pertaining to the ingredient pterostilbene, both of which are licensed exclusively to ChromaDex Corp. (OTCQX: CDXC), an innovative natural products company that provides proprietary ingredients and science-based solutions to the dietary supplement, food and beverage, animal health, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. These are the second and third ChromaDex-held patents issued for pterostilbene and several additional patents are pending.
The '400 patent, entitled "Method to Ameliorate Oxidative Stress and Improve Working Memory Via Pterostilbene Administration," relates to a method of using pterostilbene to forestall, prevent and reverse the effects of neuronal and behavioral aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, pterostilbene is shown in research studies to be effective in reversing motor deficits and working memory of subjects. The patent application was initially filed in August 2011 by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Subsequently, ChromaDex was granted an exclusive worldwide license to all rights of the pterostilbene patent from the University of Mississippi and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. The term of the license is up to and including the expiration of various pterostilbene patents and pending patents held by the licensors.
Dr. Agnes Rimando, co-inventor of the patent, first encountered pterostilbene when she was a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Rimando is a research chemist with the USDA-ARS Natural Products Utilization Research Unit, housed in the University of Mississippi Thad Cochran Research Center. Dr. Rimando's pterostilbene studies led to the discovery of its presence in blueberries, as well as the finding that the ingredient activates a protein involved in fatty acid metabolism. Additional co-inventors of the '400 patent are Dr. James Joseph (deceased) and Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, who is with the Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
The '350 patent relates to a method of administering an effective amount of pterostilbene to a subject in order to suppress or prevent the progression of a precancerous disease (associated with photodamage to the skin) to non-melanoma skin cancer by inducing UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activity. UGT is an enzyme responsible for the process of glucuronidation, which changes unwanted compounds into a more water-soluble version to allow for easier elimination from the body. It is known that UGTs prevent melanoma invasiveness by eliminating toxic compounds and are lost during melanoma progression.
The University of California Irvine (UCI) and ChromaDex jointly filed this pterostilbene patent application in May 2012 and, subsequently, ChromaDex was granted an exclusive worldwide license to all rights in the patent. The term of the license is up to and including the expiration of various pterostilbene patents and patents pending held by the licensors. Co-inventor of the '350 patent, Dr. Ryan Dellinger – who now holds the position of Director, Scientific Affairs at ChromaDex – performed the patent research while previously employed as Assistant Project Scientist in the Department of Medicine at UCI. Dr. Dellinger focused his research on how the use of natural compounds could mitigate UV mediated skin disorders.
A short video of Dr. Frank Meyskens, Professor of Medicine, Biological Chemistry, Public Health and Epidemiology at UCI, speaking about the pterostilbene research can be viewed at: http://investors.chromadex.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=212121&p=irol-investorKit.
ChromaDex's proprietary pterostilbene, branded as pTeroPure®, was named the 2010 North American Most Promising Ingredient of the Year by the independent research company Frost & Sullivan. A phase 2/3 clinical study of pTeroPure® published in 2012 showed statistically significant results for its ability to lower blood pressure without any serious adverse side effects. ChromaDex launched pTeroPure® in 2010 and today, more than 40 consumer products containing pTeroPure® are on the market.
Pterostilbene has superior biological activity, better oral bioavailability and metabolizes more slowly in the body than other polyphenols, like resveratrol, allowing more time for its antioxidant activities to act. Along with a number of other effects, pterostilbene has shown great promise for supporting cardiovascular health, cognitive function and anti-aging.
About ChromaDex:
ChromaDex is an innovative natural products company that discovers, acquires, develops and commercializes proprietary-based ingredient technologies through its unique business model that utilizes its wholly owned synergistic business units, including ingredient technologies, natural product fine chemicals (known as "phytochemicals"), chemistry and analytical testing services, and product regulatory and safety consulting (as Spherix Consulting). The company provides seamless science-based solutions to the nutritional supplement, food and beverage, animal health, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The ChromaDex ingredient technologies unit includes products backed with extensive scientific research and intellectual property. Its ingredient portfolio includes pTeroPure® pterostilbene; ProC3G®, a natural black rice containing cyanidin-3-glucoside; PURENERGY™, a caffeine-pTeroPure® cocrystal; and NIAGEN™, its recently launched branded nicotinamide riboside, a potent NAD+ booster and novel next-generation B vitamin. To learn more about ChromaDex, visit www.chromadex.com.
About the University of Mississippi, Oxford:
The University of Mississippi, the flagship university for the state of Mississippi, opened in 1848. It offers nationally recognized programs across a broad range of undergraduate and graduate studies, from medicine and law to creative writing and accountancy. With more than 23,000 students, Ole Miss is the state's largest university, and the Chronicle of Higher Education named it as the nation's 13th-fastest growing university in its Almanac of Higher Education 2014. The university has a diverse student body (23.8 percent of students are ethnic minorities) representing all 50 states and 92 countries. It has been ranked as one of America's best college values by Kiplinger's Personal Finance and one of the best places to work by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
About the University of California, Irvine: Located in coastal Orange County, near a thriving high-tech hub in one of the nation's safest cities, UC Irvine was founded in 1965. One of only 62 members of the Association of American Universities, it's ranked first among U.S. universities under 50 years old by the London-based Times Higher Education. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. UC Irvine has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $4.3 billion annually to the local economy.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements that are not a description of historical facts constitute forward-looking statements and may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plans," "potential," "possible," "probable," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "could" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2013, the Company's Quarter Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted by the Company to the SEC, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update this release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
ChromaDex Media Inquiries:
Beckerman PR
Jerry Schranz
201-465-8020
[email protected]
ChromaDex Company Contact:
Laura Kelly, Executive Assistant
949-419-0288
[email protected]
| Statements in this press release have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products or ingredients are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chromadex-announces-two-patent-issuances-for-novel-ingredient-pterostilbene-300000134.html |
SOURCE ChromaDex Corp.
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