In the scientific community, the invention of Gatorade in 1965 by a team of researchers at the University of Florida is a landmark event. By creating a drink that rapidly replaced lost fluids and helped prevent dehydration, the University of Florida opened the door to a windfall of royalties that brought millions of dollars back to the university.
At UNMC and other research centers around the country, the Gatorade story serves as an inspiration to what can happen if research results in a breakthrough discovery.
This weekend, a contingent of Nebraskans will travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the largest biotechnology convention in the world in an effort to raise awareness for Omaha’s biotechnology programs.
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Sam Augustine, Pharm.D. |
The group, which includes representatives from the academic, business and governmental sectors, will attend the BIO 2003 International Biotechnology Convention and Exhibition being held June 22-25 in Washington, D.C. About 15,000 people from around the world are expected to attend this year’s convention.
For the third consecutive year, the Nebraska contingent involves a partnership spearheaded by the UNMC and its technology transfer company, UNeMed. Other partners include the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Department of Economic Development and the Omaha Public Power District. An area biotechnology company – Nature Technology Corp. of Lincoln – also will attend.
Highlighting the UNMC display at this year’s conference will be a new product developed by a team of researchers in the UNMC College of Pharmacy. The product – a new form of creatine, a nutritional supplement taken by athletes to boost performance – is believed to have the potential to make a dramatic impact on the nutritional supplement industry.
“We’re very excited about this technology,” said Sam Augustine, Pharm.D., associate professor in the UNMC College of Pharmacy and president of ProNutrient Technologies Inc., a company that was formed in 2001 to manufacture and distribute the supplement. “We believe our form of creatine will prove to be more useful to the general public as well as the athletic community.”
Dr. Augustine said the ProNutrient form of creatine is more soluble in water and lipophilic (fat soluble) than creatine monohydrate, the most widely used salt form of creatine on the market. The monohydrate salt is poorly absorbed by the body and can cause gastrointestinal problems, he said.
“The changes we have made to creatine make it more bioavailable, meaning it is more readily absorbed by the body and presented to cells in a higher concentration,” Dr. Augustine said. “There also are minimal side effects, if any. In short, it is better absorbed and tolerated than the monohydrate form.
“Creatine is important biologically because it combines with phosphate and becomes a carrier for the energy system of the cell. There are other interesting observations with the use of this ester form that include more immediate muscle recovery from fatigue, and aches and pains. It should have a broad application that will benefit not only high-performance human and animal athletes but also the weekend warrior, and even aging pets.”
The technology used by ProNutrient is the result of three years of comprehensive research conducted at UNMC, Dr. Augustine said. Other College of Pharmacy faculty involved in the project included Donald Miller, Ph.D., Jonathan Vennerstrom, Ph.D., Jon Wagner, Pharm.D., and Dennis Robinson, Ph.D.
Dr. Augustine said the ProNutrient form of creatine applies technology involving the concept of creating a “pronutraceutical.” The pharmaceutical industry uses these methods to create molecules that are metabolized by the body into active forms.
Dr. Augustine recognized Drs. Miller and Vennerstrom for their work in making the creatine molecule an ester, thereby masking its acid portion with oxygen and carbon atoms.
The product will be tested in a performance trial with subjects at Athletes’ Performance on the Arizona State University campus in the near future. Safety data for the ester is currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration.
In 2002, ProNutrient obtained exclusive, worldwide rights from UNeMed for the creatine ester technology. That same year, the company received a $120,000 research grant from the Small Business Administration and the National Institutes of Health to identify and commercialize creatine ester products. Following trials, ProNutrient hopes to bring the product to market later this year.
In addition to ProNutrient, several start-up companies and partnerships have been developed around UNMC technology. The newest of these include:
- Eleos, Inc. is developing low-cost, non-toxic, highly active therapeutics for major medical disorders. Its lead antisense oligonucleotide compound blocks the production of p53, a disease-promoting protein known to play a key role in cancer.
- Prommune, LLC is developing vaccines to drugs of addiction, agents of chemical and biological warfare and environmental toxins. The development of vaccines by Prommune employs a novel molecular adjuvant technology that was developed by UNMC faculty member Sam Sanderson, Ph.D., associate professor, School of Allied Health Professions.
“We received more than 1,300 leads at the BIO 2002 Convention in Toronto,” said Marsha Morien, administrator, advanced biomedical technologies. “We are looking forward to a similar response this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to let others know that Omaha and UNMC are real players in the biotechnology field.”
This year’s theme for the Nebraska delegation will be “BIO’s Hot in Omaha….where UNMC is sizzlin’ with biotech opportunities.” To attract more attention to the UNMC booth at the convention, Morien said UNMC will have a robotic dog named HotShot on display. Visitors to the booth can leave their business cards to be eligible for a drawing for HotShot at the end of the convention.
Besides Morien and Dr. Augustine, other UNMC staff attending the convention include: Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance; Tom McDonald, Ph.D., president and CEO, UNeMed; Sandy Goetzinger-Comer and Elizabeth Kumru, both public affairs; Kimberly Lamb, Ph.D., biotechnology marketing and management specialist, UNeMed; Leonard Agneta, J.D., director, UNMC Intellectual Property Office; Rick Spellman, J.D., chairman of the board of directors, UNeMed; and Bob Bell, vice president for business and community development for UNeMed.