Aker BioMarine secures rights to University of Illinois LPC research

Published: 7-Jan-2021

The company will also take responsibility for supplying the UIC team with LPC-bound EPA and DHA derived from Antarctic krill to further their research

Aker BioMarine has obtained exclusive rights to University of Illinois Chicago’s IP related to lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and will contribute to the research team as they continue to explore the potential of the LPC form of EPA and DHA.

In November, Aker BioMarine launched Lysoveta, a delivery platform based on LPC-bound EPA and DHA from krill. By entering into an exclusive IP licensing agreement with UIC, Aker BioMarine takes another step forward in exploring the potential of Lysoveta.

The University of Illinois Chicago has been at the forefront of the research into the LPC-bound EPA and DHA and its ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier to enter the brain. As demonstrated by Prof Papasani Subbaiah, Professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular genetics at the UIC College of Medicine, LPC is the preferred carrier of EPA and DHA to the brain and eyes, pinpointing LPC as a superior delivery platform to enrich these organs with essential omega 3 fatty acids.

“The LPC transporter allows EPA and DHA to enter the brain and the retina. We have demonstrated that LPC- bound EPA and DHA from krill oil have a huge beneficial effect on the uptake levels in these organs”, said Prof Papasani Subbaiah.

As part of the collaboration with UIC, Aker BioMarine will receive an exclusive license to the current intellectual property resulting from Subbaiah’s work on LPC-EPA/DHA. Subbaiah has been working on the subject of acquisition of DHA by the brain for several years and has demonstrated the ability of dietary LPC EPA/DHA to enrich brain and retinal DHA. He has published 3 scientific papers in this field in 2020 alone.

“Our partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago marks the first step in establishing a strong network of collaborators within the LPC-bound EPA and DHA field. We will continue to explore the potential of LPC-bound EPA and DHA from krill, to gain a broader and in-depth understanding of how LYSOVETA can benefit brain and eye function. There is no better way to kick this off than with a world-leading research team on this subject by our side,” said Matts Johansen, CEO, Aker BioMarine.

"It is important to bring our findings into the real world, to test and prove the commercial potential of LPC-bound EPA and DHA in terms of its benefits on human health. We are excited about this collaboration with Aker BioMarine, a partner whose products are firmly rooted in science,” said Hyunjin Kim, Associate Technology Manager at UIC’s Office of Technology Management.

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