The University of Hawaii (UH) John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and Cardax, Inc. (Cardax), a Hawaii based life sciences company, announced today that the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has selected the proprietary Cardax astaxanthin compound CDX-085 for its anti-aging Interventions Testing Program (ITP).
"Getting into the Interventions Testing Program with the National Institute on Aging is a game-changer," said Dr. Bradley Willcox, M.D., Professor and Director of Research at the Department of Geriatric Medicine at JABSOM. "It puts CDX-085, Cardax's proprietary astaxanthin compound, into a very elite club of compounds that have the potential to become true anti-aging therapies."
In March of this year, JABSOM and Cardax jointly announced that CDX-085 showed the ability to significantly activate the FOXO3 gene in mice, which plays a proven role in longevity.
"Out of all the compounds they could have chosen, they chose ours," said David G. Watumull, Cardax CEO. "It's an important validation of the work that we've done here in Hawaii."
The NIA ranked the proposal submitted by UH faculty members Dr. Willcox and Richard Allsopp, Ph.D. a "high priority," its highest ranking. Dr. Willcox is Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Kuakini Hawaii LIFESPAN and HEALTHSPAN Studies and Cardax Scientific Advisory Board member. Dr. Allsopp is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Biogenesis Research at JABSOM.
"The information we get from the ITP is going to be quite significant and should greatly enhance our knowledge of how astaxanthin/CDX-085 affects aging," added Dr. Allsopp.
The NIA funds the rigorous and extensive studies included in the ITP, which are conducted at several labs across the country.
The ITP will build upon the research by JABSOM and Cardax demonstrating the ability of CDX-085 to activate the important anti-aging gene FOXO3 in mice. CDX-085, like the Company's first generation dietary supplement, ZanthoSyn™, delivers astaxanthin to the bloodstream with optimal absorption and purity.
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