Aquapharm Biodiscovery sign a research agreement with Leatherhead Food Research
21 October 2010
Aquapharm Biodiscovery, a leading marine biotechnology company,
announced today it has signed a research agreement with Leatherhead
Food Research to identify novel functional extracts with
broad-spectrum anti-microbial activity using Aquapharm's extensive
collection of marine micro-organisms.
Under the terms of this agreement, Aquapharm will apply its
suite of proprietary screening technologies, including SeaRch™, and
fermentation know-how to generate extracts for screening.
Leatherhead Food Research, drawing on its scientific expertise and
track record on the identification, evaluation and application of
alternative preservatives for food and other applications will then
undertake the screening of these short-listed extracts from
Aquapharm's collection against a range of different
micro-organisms, bacteria and fungi.
Aquapharm and Leatherhead Food Research will offer the output of
this screening effort, namely a rich new source of naturally
derived antimicrobial compounds, to the food and beverage industry
and seek an appropriate partner, or partners, to support the
further development and commercialisation of selected
candidates.
The collaboration represents a major step forward for Aquapharm
in realising the potential of its unique marine assets and
expertise in the food and beverage sector. This builds on its
established deals with Croda to develop novel bio-active
ingredients for the personal care industry and AMRI to isolate and
identify active pharmaceutical ingredients, thus maximising the
exploitation of its marine collection in producing a range of high
value-added products for multiple market sectors.
On signing of the agreement, Aquapharm CEO Simon Best said
"Today's consumers are increasingly demanding naturally derived
ingredients and we are delighted to engage in collaboration with
Leatherhead Food Research, who operate at the very forefront of
food research, to develop a productive new source of natural
preservatives that meets this need."
"Consumer demand for additive-free foods is a key research
driver in the area of food preservatives. Adding to Leatherhead's
current research portfolio on natural alternatives to chemical
preservatives, this collaboration aims at the effective
exploitation of Aquapharm's unique source of biodiverse marine
micro-organisms," said Dr Evangelia Komitopoulou, Head of Food
Safety at Leatherhead Food Research.
Initial results from this research agreement are expected during
early 2011.
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