A new market of 1.3 billion people opened this year to two nutritional supplements developed at UNMC.
AminoActiv, an anti-inflammatory cream or capsule, and CON-CRET, one of the bestselling muscle-building supplements in the United States, will now be distributed in China through a first-ever agreement signed between Vireo Resources and Beijing Ronghuaboshi Biotechnology Inc.
UNeMed, the technology transfer arm of UNMC, facilitated the agreement, said UNeMed President Michael Dixon, Ph.D. The agreement was signed during an August trade mission with Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman.
In the three years since the company opened a manufacturing plant in Plattsmouth, Neb., sales have grown an average of 240 percent each year and the number of employees has increased to 12, with more jobs expected to be added next year. The plant was located south of Omaha because of the proximity of UNMC and its researchers.
Jonathan Vennerstrom, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and Tom McDonald, Ph.D., professor of pathology/microbiology, were on the team that developed Alpha-GEE and creatine HCl, the active ingredients in CON-CRET and AminoActiv. UNeMed licensed these products, as well as Rejuvenate Plus, an anti-inflammatory given to dogs with ailing joints, to Vireo, which makes 50 different nutritional and dietary supplements.
Qian Zhang, Ph.D., cancer biologist and UNeMed licensing associate, established the licensing partnership in China and also negotiated a second agreement with the Chinese Academy of Science that will enable additional research collaboration with UNMC.
“Our goal is to find more companies with which to license and partner,” she said.