Global biotech innovator Aker BioMarine is today launching LYSOVETA™, a new delivery platform based on LPC-bound EPA and DHA from krill. This is a significant breakthrough that will open up new opportunities and new large markets within the brain, eye and other important health areas.
Until today, there has been no commercially available LPC product in the market, except for high cost and small amounts of synthetically produced material for research purposes. With the launch of LYSOVETA™, LPC becomes available in large quantities and at affordable cost.
There is substantial and increasing interest and concern around brain and eye health. With an aging population, brain health will continue to be an area of focus, both for consumers, pharmaceutical companies and researchers in decades to come. There is also an increased focus on eye health related in particular to people spending more time in front of their screens.
“We have spent the last five years working on the science and chemistry with a goal of bringing LYSOVETA™ to the market. Aker BioMarine is the first company to produce and offer LPC-bound EPA and DHA. This is a breakthrough in science and product development, launching a completely new platform to improve human health,” says Matts Johansen, CEO of Aker BioMarine.
Aker BioMarine is scaling up production capacity of the molecule at its manufacturing plant in Houston, and expects regulatory approval for the dietary supplement version of LYSOVETA™ by the end of 2022.The company is now actively seeking partners to pursue commercial opportunities in the pharmaceutical and infant formula segment. Aker BioMarine will also be reaching out to universities and research organisations with material and knowhow to stimulate further research.
Breakthrough science
Ground-breaking research published in Nature in 2014 identified Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) as a primary carrier molecule of DHA across the selective blood-brain barrier.
This transport of LPC-bound EPA and DHA has also been identified in several organs other than the brain, such as the eyes and the placenta. The molecule is therefore a highly efficient means of supplying vital organs of the body with fatty acids.
The Nature article inspired Aker BioMarine to develop a method of producing LPC-bound EPA/DHA from krill, resulting in a new compound, LYSOVETATM.
“Our tried and tested production of LPC-bound EPA/DHA from krill at scale, gives us a unique position to be a central player in the future of brain and eye health,” says Dr. Andreas Storsve, R&D Director at Aker BioMarine.
Aker BioMarine’s Antarctic krill products are naturally high in phosphatidylcholine (PC), a unique raw material to produce LPC-bound EPA and DHA. During the last five years, the company has made significant investments into product development, resulting in a large patent estate covering the space, and will now focus on expanding the research around the untapped potential of LYSOVETATM.
Unlocking new opportunities
With degenerative brain disorders and eye diseases being on the rise globally, new and innovative treatment options are urgently needed. It is scientifically established that EPA and DHA play a crucial role in supporting the structural integrity and functioning of the cells and organs of the brain and eyes. LYSOVETA™ unlocks new opportunities to explore targeted delivery of EPA and DHA.
“We will actively seek collaboration with the scientific community and beyond to explore LYSOVETA™’s full potential and build more knowledge about how it may affect conditions surrounding cognitive and eye health,” adds Dr. Storsve. “We are the only company in the world ready to offer a supply of material to partners and the research community to continue building knowledge in the LPC area.”
Recent numbers from Grand View Research predict that the global dietary supplement market for brain health is expected to grow from USD 6.7bn in 2019 to USD 10.8bn in 2025, and for eye health from USD 1.5bn to USD 2.1bn. Further, the global pharma eye market reached a size of USD 23.5bn in 2019 and is expected to grow to USD 32.1bn by 2025, according to Evaluate Pharma. The global pharma brain market size was USD 86bn in 2019 and forecasted by Nature to grow to USD 131bn in 2025. To put it in context, Aker BioMarine has with its Superba™ Krill Oil built a USD 97m business out of a total US omega-3 market of USD 4.6bn, representing a 2% market share.
“With our pole position, our competitive cost profile, strong IP estate and an enormous addressable market, we are looking at the biggest opportunity since the start of Aker BioMarine,” says Matts Johansen, CEO of Aker BioMarine.
Sustainability at the core of LYSOVETA™
Sustainability is at the core of new product development in Aker BioMarine. The development of LYSOVETATM by Aker BioMarine aligns with the company’s vision to improve human health without compromising the health of the ecosystems in which it operates.
Krill is sustainably harvested from the pristine waters of Antarctica. Like Aker BioMarine’s other krill products, LYSOVETA™ will carry the same certifications (Marine Stewardship Council/Non-GMO/Friend of the Sea) and adhere to the same high sustainability and quality standards. For more information, go to: www.lysoveta.com
More information
LYSOVETA™ investor presentation
The original research on the connection between LPC and the targeted delivery of DHA across the blood-brain barrier via Mfsd2a was conducted at David Silver’s laboratory at Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore. The full citation is as follows: Nguyen LN, Ma D, Shui G, Wong P, Cazenave-Gassiot A, Zhang X, Wenk MR, Goh EL, Silver DL (2014) Mfsd2a is a transporter for the essential omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid. Nature, 509:503–506. Nature publication link:
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13241
For further information, please contact:
Martin Stenshall, Investor Relations
Mobile: +47 47 33 83 31
Email: martin.stenshall@akerbiomarine.com
Katrin Berntsen, Director Communication
Mobile: +47 92 05 45 70
Email: katrin.berntsen@akerbiomarine.com
About Aker BioMarine
Aker BioMarine is a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company, dedicated to improving human and planetary health. The company develops krill-based ingredients for nutraceutical, aquaculture, and animal feed applications. The company’s fully transparent value chain stretches from sustainable krill harvesting in pristine Antarctic waters through its Montevideo logistics hub, Houston production plant, and all the way to customers around the world.