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Health Enhancement Products, Inc. Study at the University of Missouri Indicates Positive Results for Canine Joint Health
Date :
02/03/2014 @ 2:20PM
Source :
Marketwired
Stock :
Health Enhancement Products, Inc. (QB) (HEPI)
Quote :
0.255 -0.015 (-5.56%) @ 3:07PM
Health Enhancement Products, Inc. Study at the University of Missouri Indicates Positive Results for Canine Joint Health
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Health Enhancement Products, Inc. (QB) (USOTC:HEPI) Intraday Stock Chart
Today : Monday 3 February 2014
Health Enhancement Products, Inc. Study at the University of Missouri Indicates Positive Results for Canine Joint Health
KEEGO HARBOR, MI--(Marketwired - Feb 3, 2014) - Health Enhancement Products, Inc. (OTCQB: HEPI), which investigates and licenses algae-derived, high-value bioactive molecules that benefit human and animal health, announces preliminary research results for efficacy in addressing canine joint health. The research was conducted at the University of Missouri by Keiichi Kuroki, DVM, PhD, DAVCP, Associate Director of the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory and Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Kuroki is a member of a group of researchers at the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory, University of Missouri, led by professor James Cook, DVM, PhD, credited with developing an in vitro co-culture model of canine osteoarthritis nearly a decade ago. This well-regarded and proven model mimics the histological, biochemical, and molecular features of osteoarthritis in a laboratory setting.
Osteoarthritis, characterized by the progressive degradation of joint cartilage, affects roughly one out of every five dogs, causing stiffness, inflammation, and joint pain, thus hindering quality of life. The initial results of the University of Missouri study indicate that naturally-produced HEPI compounds help prevent the loss of glycosaminoglycan, one of the major structural components of cartilage and a good indicator of cartilage health.
"This model, emblematically 'osteoarthritis in a test tube,' is ideal for examining the effectiveness of potential treatment options, including dietary supplements, to support joint health and protect cartilage throughout an animal," said Amy Steffek, PhD, HEPI Director of Research & Development. HEPI looks forward to continuing their research with Dr. Kuroki and the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory, University of Missouri to provide a natural alternative that may help improve joint health in dogs and promote a more active lifestyle.
About Health Enhancement Products, Inc. Health Enhancement Products, Inc. is a health and wellness company engaged in the development of algae-derived, natural products for use as dietary supplements and food ingredients. The company has developed a portfolio of natural, bioactive compounds wholly owned by Health Enhancement Products and protected by patents, patents pending, and trade secrets, which are licensed to manufacturers. These natural products are extracted from living algae grown in purified water.
About the University of Missouri Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory The mission of the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory at the University of Missouri is to design and conduct the highest quality hypothesis-driven research focused on orthopaedic disorders of diarthrodial joints; to implement a comparative approach to investigation of joint disease in order to most efficiently and comprehensively address identified problems; and to apply basic science research to the clinical situation in order to span the gap that often limits the usefulness of scientific discoveries. The laboratory is made possible through collaboration among the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, and the MU School of Medicine.
Safe Harbor Statement Except for any historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, including the timing of completion of a trial, actual future clinical trial results being different than the results the company has obtained to date, and the company's ability to secure funding. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or otherwise.
More HEPI Messages Latest Health Enhancement Products, , HEPI Messages
i suspect that DAHL has his eyesvandypitcher • Mon Feb 3, 2014 1:44 PM (1 hour ago)
wow 125k dumped like nothing at .25c. whatpremiumjavacoffee • Mon Feb 3, 2014 10:38 AM (4 hours ago)
Hypi, No doubt the market as a whole isAmigo Mike • Sun Feb 2, 2014 3:27 PM (23 hours ago)
This board is as dead as HEPI stock!The Blaze • Sun Feb 2, 2014 9:51 AM
PUT SOME DANG NEWS OUT HEPI!! IT'S BEENpremiumjavacoffee • Fri Jan 31, 2014 10:31 AM
Problem is the market and not anything withHypi • Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:21 AM
Clean, Sorry for delayed response ...... "apathy" sounds right.Amigo Mike • Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:20 AM
My opinion... alot of hopeful developments and announcementsflyguy909 • Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:05 PM
You guys talk about buyouts and etc forpremiumjavacoffee • Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:24 PM
Mike, Would characterize the downslide of last few daysCleanGreenMachine • Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:29 PM
Clean, If there were a buyout in the worksAmigo Mike • Sat Jan 25, 2014 10:32 AM
Purely speculative here, but if there is aCleanGreenMachine • Fri Jan 24, 2014 2:11 PM
With what we all know and where theflyguy909 • Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:46 PM
Java, I would concur, HEPI has never been betterAmigo Mike • Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:24 PM
Amigo with all that's happening for hepi thispremiumjavacoffee • Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:06 AM
So it looks like we have the dipAmigo Mike • Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:11 AM
Big interview: Andrew Dahl, CEO Health Enhancement Products Inc
HEPI: There’s no money in algal biofuels - yet. But nutraceuticals are a different story…
16-May-2013 - By Elaine WATSON
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Right now, a gallon of gas costs $4 or less. Produce it from algae, and you can expect to pay $18 or more, says the boss of one firm convinced that cutting edge nutraceuticals - not biofuels - is where algae’s true potential lies, in the near term at least.
Until relatively recently, says Health Enhancement Products Inc (HEPI) CEO Andrew Dahl, private investors - and federal agencies - have been literally throwing money at algae-based alternative energy projects.
The problem, however, is that no one - as yet - has made any money out of them.
And while some investors are very patient, he says, others are actively seeking out other more commercially viable applications for their shiny new bioreactors, and looking to convert facilities to produce higher value nutritional products until the math on algal biofuels adds up.
We’ve got no intention of building our own facilities
And this is creating new opportunities for HEPI, which wants to take novel algae-based nutraceuticals to the human and animal nutrition markets, but has no interest in manufacturing them on a commercial scale itself, says Dahl.
“We’ve got no intention of building our own facilities.”
Instead, HEPI is working with the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) to develop pilot-sized feedstock production and identify the most efficient harvesting, dewatering and extraction technology for its proprietary strains at a commercial scale.
It will then approach potential partners - particularly those that have already invested in production capacity to make biofuel from algae - to produce its ingredients to its specifications.
“We’d give them a contract to grow our strains, follow our process and install the equipment we require. Not all facilities could convert, but some could adapt. It’s a much quicker way to scale up.”
Totally new molecules
AzCATI-aerial-view
While the best-known nutraceuticals produced on a commercial scale from algae are omega-3 fatty acids, spirulina and astaxanthin, HEPI is exploring a completely new breed of algae-based bioactives offering novel approaches to achieving healthy cholesterol, boosting immunity and addressing chronic inflammation.
Dahl, who took the helm at Michigan-based HEPI in 2012 after working for the company on a consultancy basis, says HEPI’s products will be “totally new small molecules with amino acid or amine-type structures” that could be marketed as they are (cleaned, sterilized, dewatered biomass) or as high-purity extracts.
While HEPI’s initial focus is on animal nutrition (studies show its ingredients can tackle bovine mastitis, an inflammatory condition that impacts dairy cow milk production and quality), the medium-to long term focus will be human nutrition, he says.
We’re looking at two areas for human nutrition: Anti-inflammation and immune response; and cholesterol/blood lipid balance
While it is still completing final safety tests to ensure GRAS status for its ingredients; it has already completed a series of human, animal and in vitro studies on human cells, which show that they can significantly improve blood lipid profiles (reduce LDL, raise HDL) and positively impact inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, he adds.
Meanwhile, research on dogs with rheumatoid arthritis showed that one of HEPI's bioactive compounds could also help relieve joint and muscle stiffness.
“We’re looking at two areas for human nutrition: anti-inflammation and immune response; and cholesterol/blood lipid balance", he says. "But they are both connected, as new research suggests that inflammation of the lining of blood vessels and arteries is in part responsible for high cholesterol levels.”
The exciting thing about HEPI’s ingredients is that they don’t work like statins, and do not induce the unwanted side effects of statins, he points out.
We’ve been able to defy gravity for quite some time
azcati-photobioreactors
Asked about how much longer the company could go on without generating any revenue, he said: “We’ve been able to defy gravity for quite some time because we have a fairly substantial shareholder base of long-time investors that have signed off on our capital plan.
“The model is much like a biotech one. There are also temporary lending facilities that have been very supportive of what we’re doing. If you look at this space, there really hasn’t been anything new for 10 years when it comes to anti-inflammatory and auto-immune modulating ingredients.
“We are offering something completely new. We’ve got two optimal strains that are yielding our active ingredients consistently.”
Algae partnerships
HEPI, which has been developing proprietary algae-derived substances in Scottsdale, Arizona, for several years, closed the Scottsdale facility at the end of April after striking a deal with AzCATI, which is now handling its cultures.
Samples have also been sent to the University of Texas at Austin for cryogenic preservation and to the National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA) in Maine for metabolic studies, said Dahl.
“Moving the cultures to the AzCATI/Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership site and to the NCMA labs opens up a vastly broader range of scientific capabilities and expertise and provides access to a tremendous network of development and production partners all while realizing substantial cost savings.”
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI--(Marketwire - Sep 26, 2012) - Arizona-based algae producer Health Enhancement Products ( OTCBB : HEPI ) announces the activation of the Company's product platform strategy to accelerate potential licensing or co-development opportunities.
The results from the recently concluded cholesterol study, along with previous studies, provide enough accumulated data for the Company to address the cholesterol vertical opportunity with drug development companies, their associated venture groups and research-based pharmaceutical companies. At the same time, several other paths have been activated to realize short-term product development and revenue objectives.
Based on previous work and a pending confirmatory test, the Company is aggressively pursuing bovine mastitis, an inflammatory condition that impacts dairy cow milk production and quality. Industry sources quote annual losses to dairy producers at nearly $10 billion. Further, government regulation is clamping down on the use of antibiotics just as new, drug-resistant pathogens are surfacing. Mastitis is the leading problem for much of the world's 244 million dairy cows. The Company is in active discussions with leading animal health companies.
The Company is also pursuing the use of its patented algae culture as a direct source of micro-nutrition and diet supplementation for beef and dairy cattle, whereby the beneficial algae is grown in large volumes, compressed and sold in bulk through licensees. Outside the US, dietary supplements and feed enhancers for cattle are a rapidly-growing, billion-dollar segment of the agricultural industry. Company management is confident that compliance with international standards can be met in a relatively short period of time.
Utilizing the same production technology, the Company can also bring to market a canine dietary supplement for the US market -- a $20 billion industry sector. A previous study, linked to a pending in vitro, will be used to engage large animal nutrition companies in licensing negotiations.
"The cholesterol application will continue to move forward at a pace set by our developmental partners. We need to pursue these other near-term opportunities to put a real number on the bottom line in the immediate term," states Andrew Dahl, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We're obviously spreading our resources, but we're also spreading our bets. Moving in parallel allows us to meet our investment and timeframe objectives. The pace of research and development will begin to accelerate."
With two anti-inflammatory tests in process and a pending autoimmune study, the Company can continue its work on several key development drivers: •Analyses and identification of cholesterol natural product bioactive compound(s) for multiple platforms, including synthetic development •Analyses and identification of anti-inflammatory natural product bioactives for human and animal use as a licensed ingredient in both functional foods and dietary supplementation •Bovine autoimmune modulation research and product development for licensing •Production technology for bulk animal feed/supplementation product
In order to speed up identification of the compounds tested in the recently concluded cholesterol study, the Company is focusing additional resources on isolation techniques that don't use salt or phosphates to extract potentially active molecules. Secondly, in order to speed up bovine mastitis research, the Company is moving forward with independent in vitro tests to support previous in vivo research. The isolation and identification of bioactives commences in parallel with anti-inflammatory and autoimmune modulation studies. Simultaneously, the Company is requesting proposals from qualified contract algae producers that can meet specific production requirements and compliance safeguards.
And finally, the Company is aggressively pursuing the protection of its existing and pending patents across the globe, filing numerous applications in Europe, Japan, Brazil, Canada and Mexico in anticipation of international distribution of proprietary products by its licensees.
About Health Enhancement Products, Inc.
Health Enhancement Products, Inc. ( OTCBB : HEPI ) is a health & wellness company engaged in the development of natural products derived from algae cultures for use as dietary supplements and food ingredients. These natural products are extracted from living algae grown in purified water.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for any historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, including the timing of completion of a trial, actual future clinical trial results being different than the results the company has obtained to date, and the company's ability to secure funding. Such statements are subject to a number of assump