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WellGen is dedicated to bringing innovation to the food, beverage and related industries. We develop and sell health and wellness ingredients using proprietary technology, scientific know-how, and wellness expertise.
Background
WellGen is an early-stage, privately financed company which received its first infusion of capital in 2000.
The company has identified several bioactive compounds found in food that alter the expression of genes associated with inflammation, arthritis, obesity and cancer. We have exclusive license to over twenty patents in various stages of progress, and devote significant resources to protecting and expanding our intellectual portfolio. We are conducting human pilot studies on several of our bioactive products. With offices in the Center for Advanced Food Technology at Rutgers University, we are uniquely positioned to participate in collaborative university research programs.
WellGen is discovering and developing nutrigenomics ingredients that will provide health benefits to consumers and satisfy significant market needs. We will sell our proprietary products as nutritional ingredients with scientifically validated benefits to the major markets that include functional foods, dietary supplements, pet foods, cosmeceuticals and drugs.
Technology
Recent research in genomics has resulted in the identification of genes associated with specific human diseases and conditions. It has also been found that foods and food ingredients can alter the expression of those genes, and by altering their expression it is possible to aid in the prevention or treatment of human diseases. These new genetics tools hold the promise of launching an era of nutrigenomics. WellGen is at the forefront of this effort. Leading the Wellness Generation.
WellGen's technical platform includes a patented method of screening the effects of food and related substances on the expression of genes associated with human health conditions. A decade ago, a program was initiated at Rutgers University (RU) and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) to develop an efficient in vitro screening method for the identification of new nutraceutical products that could regulate the expression of genes associated with human diseases. RU and UMDNJ were granted a patent (US Patent No. 5,955,269) covering this biotechnology screening process. This technology was the foundation upon which WellGen was based and the company has a worldwide, exclusive license agreement with RU/UMDNJ for the rights to it.
WellGen has created a rigorous scientific protocol to evaluate ingredients and natural substances using gene expression analysis and bioassay directed fractionation. The protocol consists of fractionation of plant and food extracts and the evaluation of bioactive compounds through in vitro and in vivo model systems.
WellGen is uniquely qualified to discover and develop dietary ingredients that impact gene expression
• WellGen, in collaboration with Rutgers University and The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, developed an in vitro screening technology to identify compounds in food that alter gene expression
• WellGen holds an exclusive license to Rutgers' US patent 5,955,269, whose broadest claim is "A method for identifying a non-nutrient food substance that is capable of modulating the expression of a disease-related gene." Using our patented process, WellGen screens the effect of food and food extracts on the expression of genes associated with various health conditions.
• WellGen has already screened over 2,000 extracts against genes for diseases associated with inflammation, including arthritis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease and has also screened substances against a separate obesity gene panel
• WellGen has a core competency in analytical chemistry for food and plant systems as well as gene expression screening, based upon our internal expertise and close working relationship with Rutgers University
• WellGen performs bioassay directed fractionation to identify the specific compounds in food and plant extracts responsible for biological activity, thereby enabling the development of standardized ingredients
• The technology has been validated using animal models
WellGen's technical program begins the process of developing clinically substantiated health benefits and concludes with human clinical studies demonstrating the impact of an extract or compound on biomarkers (such as c-reactive protein) and/or meaningful endpoints (such as body fat percentage).
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