SHERWOOD, Ore., April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Entia
Biosciences (OTCQB: ERGO), a food science biotechnology company and
emerging leader in the field of Nutrigenomics, has now received
three Patent Notices of Allowance covering the use of Ergothioneine
and its genetic transporter in the treatment of a wide variety of
diseases, including those affecting the immune and central nervous
systems. Notices from the United States Patent and Trademark
Office and the Israel Patent Office were received in March and from
the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in December.
Ergothioneine is a powerful amino acid and master antioxidant
that is acquired exclusively from the diet and carried by a unique
and specific transporter (human gene symbol SLC22A4) to cells
throughout the body that are fighting damage and death from
oxidative stress and toxic free radical reactions. Research
conducted by Entia since 2011 has confirmed significant transporter
activity in diabetes, arthritis, and several other serious
non-communicable chronic conditions, suggesting an important
physiologic role for Ergothioneine and its transporter in diseases
affecting millions of people world-wide.
Discovered in 2005 by Dr. Dirk
Grundemann at the University of Cologne (Germany), SLC22A4 is a sodium-ion dependent
transporter that efficiently and specifically carries Ergothioneine
across the cell membrane to erythrocytes (red blood cells),
progenitor stem cells, and monocytes (white blood cells)
(Grundemann, 2005). Variations in SLC22A4 have been
associated with susceptibility to inflammatory disorders, such as
rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, and expression has been
documented in a variety of human tissues. Entia licensed the
exclusive world-wide diagnostic and therapeutic rights to the
discovery from the University of Cologne in 2010 and Dr. Grundemann currently
serves on Entia's Scientific Advisory Board.
Found in naturally high concentrations almost exclusively in
mushrooms and other fungi, Ergothioneine is transferred directly
from these sources into the soil, where it is taken up by plants
and grazing mammals. For thousands of years, our
hunter/gatherer genetics have relied on this process to maintain
adequate levels of Ergothioneine to prevent or delay the onset and
progression of disease. Entia theorizes introduction of
modern agricultural practices in the past century, such as the
heavy use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and over
tilling of the soil, has been gradually eradicating mushrooms from
our farmland and depleting Ergothioneine from the food
supply. During this same period, our dietary habits
have been changing, which Entia believes is further
accelerating deficiency in the general population and may be a
contributing factor in the dramatic increases we are now seeing in
diabetes, arthritis, neurodegenerative, and other debilitating
diseases. This deficiency theory is supported by human blood
testing conducted in the late 1920s (Salt, 1931) that showed
"normal" Ergothioneine levels nearly double those found by
Pennsylvania State University in 2010
(Weigand-Heller, 2012).
Dr. Solomon Snyder of
Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine has suggested that Ergothioneine is as potent as
glutathione and because of its dietary origin and the toxicity
associated with its depletion, it may represent a new vitamin whose
physiologic roles include antioxidant cytoprotection. Dr.
Snyder further believes that the high density of Ergothioneine
within mitochondria implies a unique role in protecting
mitochondrial DNA from damage induced by free radicals and reactive
oxygen species (Snyder, 2009). Mitochondria are cytoplasmic
organelles responsible for life and death. Evidence from
animal and clinical studies suggest that mitochondria play a
critical role in aging, cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative
diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease
(Simon, 2004; Lin, 2006; Reddy, P.H., 2009).
About Entia Biosciences, Inc.
Entia is an authority on the clinical effects of oxidative
stress and free radical reactions and is bringing this expertise to
the fields of food science biotechnology and Nutrigenomics.
The Company identifies, scientifically validates, patents, and
commercializes solutions that address multi-billion dollar markets
for health, beauty and agriculture.
For more information, please visit our web sites at
www.entiabio.com or contact:
Devin Andres
Chief Operating Officer
Entia Biosciences, Inc.
13565 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd Sherwood,
OR, 97140
Phone: 503-334-3575 Email: info@entiabio.com
Any statements contained in this press release that relate to
future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to,
the risks associated with the transaction described in this press
release, and other risks identified in the filings by Entia
Biosciences with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Further
information on risks faced by the Company and its shareholders are
detailed in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and in its subsequent Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q. These filings are or will become available on
a website maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at
http://www.sec.gov. The information contained in this press release
is accurate as of the date indicated. Actual results, events or
performance may differ materially. Entia does not undertake
any obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to
these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events
or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence
of unanticipated events.
Bibliography:
Burmer, G. (2012). TNCS001A-1/SLC22A4. Entia
Biosciences.
Grigat, S. et al. (2007). Probing the Substrate Specificity of
the Ergothioneine Transporter with Methimazole, Hercynine,and
Organic Cations. Biochem. Pharmacol., 74, 309-316.
Grundemann, D. et al. (2005). Discovery of the Ergothioneine
Transporter. Proc. Natl. Acad. Science (PNAS), 102(14),
5256-5261.
Lin, MT. & Beal, MF . (2006). Mitochondrial Dysfunction and
Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Nature, 443,
787-795.
Mydel, P. et al. (2006). Roles of the Host Oxidative Immune
Response and Bacterial Antioxidant Rubrerythrin During
Porphyromonas gingivalis Infection. PloS. Pathog., 2(7),
71-76.
Paul, B. & Snyder, S., (2009). The Unusual Amino Acid
L-Ergothioneine is a Physiologic Cytoprotectant. Cell Death
& Differentiation, pp. 1-7.
Reddy, P. (2009). The Role of mitochondria in Neurodegenerative
Diseases: Mitochondria as a Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's
Disease. CNS Spectr., 14(8), 8-18.
Salt, HB (1931). The Ergothioneine Content of the Blood in
Health and Disease. Biochem J., 25(5):1712-1719
Simon, D. K. (2004). Somatic mitochondrial DNA Mutations in
Cortex and Substantia nigra in Aging and Parkinson's Disease.
Neurobiol. Aging, 25, 71-81.
Turner, E. et al. (2009). Imidazole-Based Erythrocyte Markers of
Oxidative Stree in Preeclampsia - An NMR Investigation.
Reprod.Sciences, 16(11), 1040-1051.
Weigand-Heller et al. (2012)The bioavailability of ergothioneine
from mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) and the acute effects on
antioxidant capacity and biomarkers of inflammation. Preventive
Medicine, 54:575-578.
West, A. et al. (2011). TLR Signalling Augments Macrophage
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SOURCE Entia Biosciences
