Synbiotic Health signs licensing agreement to enable development of unique synergistic synbiotics

LINCOLN, Nebraska, Nov. 21, 2019 /CNW/ - Synbiotics—combinations of probiotics and prebiotics—are a rapidly growing category of natural health products. However, researchers are only now beginning to study how synbiotics should be optimally formulated. Recently, Synbiotic Health announced the signing of a commercial agreement with NUtech Ventures, the nonprofit technology commercialization affiliate of the University of Nebraska, which grants the company worldwide exclusive rights to specially developed strains for use in formulating high-quality synergistic synbiotic products.

This licensing agreement emerged from research at the Nebraska Food for Health Center and University of Nebraska–Lincoln's department of food science and technology. The technology was developed by globally leading probiotic and prebiotic researchers, including Dr. Bob Hutkins and Dr. Andy Benson of the Nebraska Food for Health Center, animal scientist Dr. Tom Burkey, and Dr. Jens Walter from the University of Alberta.

A typical synbiotic is designed to deliver the separate health benefits of its constituent probiotic and prebiotic. Synbiotic Health will now be able to formulate a new generation of products in which the probiotic microbe is selectively enriched and stimulated by the paired prebiotic substrate.

"This agreement will allow Synbiotic Health to lead the way in developing and commercializing a unique type of nutritional ingredient," says Tim Brummels, president and CEO of Synbiotic Health. "This strong scientific foundation allows us to develop products with demonstrated synergy between the probiotic and the prebiotic. We are confident this will make the health effects more reliable, adding value for the consumer."

The company's first product, targeting food & beverage and nutritional supplement manufacturers, will launch in fall 2020. Its clinical program will commence in early 2020.

Brummels says, "Leading nutritional companies are considering the gut microbiome and its ability to impact human health as integral to its product development strategy. We are meeting this need head-on with scientifically robust solutions."

Dr. Andy Benson, a University of Nebraska Presidential Chair and Director of the Nebraska Food for Health Center, says, "The agreement represents the center's commitment to translation and commercialization of its research outputs. We hope it serves as a model to stimulate interest in bringing some of the university's great discoveries to the marketplace."

About Synbiotic Health

Headquartered at the Nebraska Innovation Campus, Synbiotic Health is a natural nutritional ingredients company. The founders, which include researchers at the University of Nebraska, formed Synbiotic Health in 2019, with the goal of developing scientifically- and clinically-tested synergistic combinations of probiotics with prebiotics.

Synbiotic Health aims to be the leader in the innovation and development of the highest quality synergistic synbiotics that will provide consistent health benefits as demonstrated through clinical evidence.

Visit synbiotichealth.com for information and developments.

For more information on the Nebraska Food for Health Center, visit its web site at foodforhealth.unl.edu.

Tim Brummels, CEO, t.brummels@synbiotichealth.com