The internal lab comprises of a specialised team that focuses on ageing research and how novel ingredients could be used to develop synergistic formulations and products for supporting anti-ageing and healthy longevity.
The ageing research will target four key areas, namely 1) cellular health, 2) probiotics and gut health, 3) muscle health, and 4) the reproductive system.
More specifically, the research will look at enhancing cellular health, the role of probiotics in reducing the ageing process, and the development of novel nutraceutical formulations in addressing muscle loss and ovary functional decline during ageing.
Research will also be conducted to find out the biological mechanisms of ageing and how they can be modulated.
The internal research lab is part of the company’s Sirio Institute for Anti-Ageing (SIA) launched in March.
While most of the research will be conducted in China where Sirio Pharma is also headquartered, the company will also work with global research institutions in applying ageing science into actual nutraceutical products.
As such, aside from its internal lab, SIA is also made up of external collaboration institutions.
“While most of the research will be conducted in China, we will also collaborate with research institutions worldwide, leveraging Sirio’s existing global R&D infrastructure to explore new bioactive ingredients, formulations, and scientific validation methods.
“The think tank (SIA) will also collaborate with global experts and institutions to translate cutting-edge ageing science into real-world nutraceutical applications,” Dr. Youyou Zhao, assistant vice president and global head of research and development at Sirio Pharma said in response to NutraIngredients-Asia’s queries.
The institute will also study both existing and new ingredients that could support decelerating age-related decline.
The first wave of products co-developed by SIA is expected to be launched later this year, revealed Dr. Yu-Xuan Lyu, head of SIA, also the research assistant professor at the Institute of Advanced Biotechnology and the School of Medicine at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).
“SIA will focus on collaborating with R&D teams and global experts to advance both existing and new ingredients aimed at decelerating age-related decline.
“This collaboration will involve scientifically backed preclinical studies and clinical trials to ensure the efficacy and safety of our formulations.
“The first wave of products co-developed by SIA is expected to be launched later this year, and we will share more information about these innovations as they become available,” Dr. Lyu said.
Scientific advisory board
At the moment, the institute, headed by Dr. Lyu, is guided by a scientific advisory board with three experts hailing from major continents.
They are Professor Richard A. Miller from the University of Michigan who is also the director of Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research, US, Professor Zhao Wang from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Tsinghua University and Professor Dario Riccardo Valenzano, director of Leibniz Institute on Aging, Germany.
