Date: 2016-02-23
Type of information: Collaboration agreement
Compound: plant-based products enhancing the metabolic function of brown adipose tissue
Company: Pierre Fabre laboratories (France) Plasticell (UK)
Therapeutic area: Metabolic diseases
Type agreement: collaboration R&D
Action mechanism: Nature Open Library is an Open Innovation program launched by Pierre Fabre Laboratories allowing them to share their expertise with innovative project initiators, from research and development to industrialization of plant active principles. In this context, Pierre Fabre Laboratories provide access to their private plant collection numbering over 15.000 classified samples. This collection has been developed in accordance with biodiversity access regulations (Rio Convention and Nagoya Protocol).
Disease: diabetes, obesity
Details: * On February 23, 2016, Plasticell, a UK biotechnology company specializing in stem cell differentiation, and Pierre Fabre, the 2nd largest independent French Pharmaceutical laboratory, have announced the signing of a collaboration agreement. The two companies will work together to discover plant-based products that enhance the metabolic function of brown adipose tissue (BAT). Plasticell will screen Pierre Fabre’s ‘Nature Open Library’ collection numbering over 15000 phytochemical extracts, to identify natural products that increase the metabolic activity and other specific functions of BAT. In addition, Plasticell scientists may collaborate with Pierre Fabre botanists, phyto-chemists and regulatory specialists in the further development of products. The collaboration will focus initially on screening extracts derived from the edible parts of plants, with the aim of developing functional foods or nutraceuticals. BAT is a highly specialised fat tissue that burns excess calories to produce heat. Though abundant in new-born babies, where it is essential to maintain body temperature, the levels of brown fat decline with age, making the tissue difficult to source for medical research. Using its stem cell differentiation platform (CombiCult®), Plasticell has developed a robust and highly efficient method of producing rare BAT cells directly from human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), which are easily sourced and relatively abundant. Higher levels of BAT are correlated with leaner individuals and increased glucose tolerance, suggesting that BAT activation may protect against weight gain, obesity and related diseases such as diabetes.
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