Nestlé Health Science, the wholly-owned subsidiary of the food giant, has entered into a global strategic partnership with Amazentis, a Swiss pioneer in nutritional health and patent-holder of Urolithin A technology, a bioactive dietary metabolite that promotes mitochondrial health. The company is headquartered in Lausanne.
As part of the agreement, Nestlé will take an equity stake in Amazentis and receive global rights to use its patented Urolithin A technology for dietary supplements, select foods and beverages, and medical nutrition products.
For Nestlé, this partnership supports its pursuit of growth opportunities both in consumer healthcare and medical nutrition.
Greg Behar, CEO of Nestlé Health Science, explained: "Advancing cellular nutrition is a key component of our strategy to bring new benefits to consumers and patients. Amazentis' impressive science in the field of mitochondrial health opens significant new opportunities for us, and we are thrilled to partner with their capable team."
Behar said the partnership will include a significant investment to support further research and development of Urolithin A.
The partnership will also see both companies conduct a joint research programme to expand applications of Urolithin A into new consumer health and medical benefit areas.
Bioactive dietary metabolite
Urolithin A is a bioactive dietary metabolite that is naturally produced when eating certain foods, such as the pomegranate, though it is difficult for most people to get enough of this specialised nutrient from food alone.
An industry-first natural bioactive, Urolithin A improves mitochondrial function by activating mitophagy, a process by which ageing and damaged mitochondria are cleared from the cell.
Optimal mitochondrial function is central to cell metabolism and overall health. This is part of a new class of nutrients, called cellular nutrients, which go beyond traditional macro and micronutrients and are clinically proven to improve cellular health.
The science behind Urolithin A has been published in Nature Medicine and a Phase 1 clinical study demonstrated a beneficial impact on biomarkers of mitochondrial health in plasma and in skeletal muscle tissue.
Chris Rinsch, Amazentis Co-founder and CEO, said: "We're excited to be partnering with Nestlé Health Science as they truly see the future of nutrition and share our vision of developing a new generation of clinically validated nutrients to counteract cellular ageing."
Urolithin A also has a strong safety profile as recognised by its recent, successful GRAS (generally recognized as safe) filing with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Amazentis retains co-exclusive rights for the online distribution of dietary supplements and select food products as well as global exclusive rights for distribution of certain other defined categories.
Rinsch concluded: "This partnership will enable us to make this breakthrough more widely available and will support consumers in the proactive management of their cellular health."