Key Takeaways:
- Ayana Bio has been awarded a $300,000 grant by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) of the NIH.
- The funding supports research into producing saffron’s neuroprotective bioactives through innovative plant cell cultivation.
- This research aims to identify and standardize saffron bio-actives that benefit neurological and age-related conditions, including Huntington’s disease.
Introduction to Ayana Bio’s Innovative Research
Ayana Bio, a pioneering plant cell technology company, has secured a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enhance its research on saffron and its potential health benefits. The grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is specifically aimed at advancing the company’s exploration of saffron’s neuroprotective properties through the method of plant cell cultivation.
Saffron’s Broad Health Implications
Clinical studies have highlighted saffron’s beneficial impacts on various neurological and age-related diseases, such as depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease. Notably, saffron has also been shown to aid in weight loss by increasing feelings of satiety. These properties position saffron as a valuable ingredient in health and wellness, albeit one that has been traditionally limited by high costs and production challenges.
Goals of the NIH-Funded Research
The NIH grant will enable Ayana Bio to conduct detailed research to pinpoint which complex of saffron bioactives consistently offers the most significant neuroprotective benefits, with a particular focus on Huntington’s disease. Utilizing its high-throughput synthetic biology capabilities, including sequencing, multi-omics technology, and analytical chemistry, Ayana Bio aims to select the optimal plant cell lines for this purpose. Additionally, the research will include a pre-clinical study using a C. elegans model to further investigate the enhanced production of these bioactives through plant cell cultivation.
Advantages of Plant Cell Cultivation
Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio, emphasized the broader implications of their approach: “Saffron is a super ingredient for our brains—not just our taste buds—but it remains untapped due to its exorbitant cost.” He further highlighted the NIH grant as a validation of plant cell cultivation’s potential to unlock the powerful benefits of botanicals like saffron and improve health outcomes. This cultivation technique involves growing saffron cells in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks, which provides a consistent and reliable source of saffron’s beneficial bioactives, circumventing the traditional agricultural constraints and the high costs associated with saffron production.
Ayana Bio Latest News
Partnership for Innovation in Plant-Based Ingredients (2024/01/25)
Ayana Bio and Wooree Green Science have collaborated to create sustainable bioactive ingredients, such as saffron, for health and wellness products in South Korea. Ayana Bio’s Plant Cell Advantage™ technology involves growing plant cells in controlled environments to produce sustainable, pure, and safe botanical ingredients with increased bioavailability and full traceability. Wooree Green Science views this partnership as a step forward in commercializing high-value sustainable ingredients with diverse applications in various industries.
Ayana Bio Introduces New Plant Cell Advantage Ingredient Portfolio (2023/10/24)
Ayana Bio has launched its new Plant Cell Advantage™ (PCA™) ingredient lineup, which includes Dog Rose PCA™, Hedge Nettle PCA™, and Sage PCA™. These non-GMO plant powders can replace traditional ingredients in various dietary supplements and food products. Ayana Bio uses plant cell cultivation to ensure quality and transparency, and their ingredients come DNA-fingerprint certified. The company is partnering with global industry forerunners to offer consumers unparalleled quality and reliability in bioactive ingredients.
Launches New ‘Plant Cell-to-Product’ Laboratory in Boston’s Seaport District (2023/07/13)
Boston Seaport‘s burgeoning biotech landscape welcomes a significant addition with the opening of a state-of-the-art laboratory by Ayana Bio. The new facility, dubbed the ‘Plant Cell-to-Product’ lab, is set to commercialize a range of cultivated ingredients, pushing the boundaries of biotechnology.
Launches Sustainable Plant Cell-Cultivated Ingredients In The US (2023/04/20)
Ayana Bio, a plant cell technology firm that creates sustainable bioactive for consumer products, has announced the release of plant cell-cultivated lemon balm and echinacea health and wellness ingredients, the first of their kind in the United States. These bioactive-rich components can directly substitute conventionally cultivated botanicals in sleep, mood, and immune support dietary supplement formulations. Ayana Bio uses plant cell culture to manufacture materials without growing plants.
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