Trinity College’s new research center to unlock bioactives’ supplement potential

28 May 2021 --- A new research hub at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, called NatPro Centre, aims to advance research into naturally derived products to deliver human health benefits.

The center will identify key bioactives from natural sources, such as macro and microalgae, cereals, bioactive herbs and plants, and transform them toward new therapeutics, functional foods, supplements and cosmetic applications.

NatPro Centre strives to progress natural product research from discovery and chemical analysis through to formulation, processing and manufacture. 

“These opportunities are very exciting and really unique in the Irish research landscape,” highlights Helen Sheridan, NatPro founder and associate professor of natural product chemistry at Trinity College.

The NatPro Centre is based at Trinity College’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach
The global natural product market continues to grow and is becoming pivotal to social, economic and environmental strategies. Driven by health, economic and climate concerns, consumers increasingly demand sustainable and natural plant-based products.

From left to right: co-director Prof. Anne-Marie Healy, NatPro Centre founder Helen Sheridan and Dr. Gaia Scalabrino.“NatPro’s edge is its interdisciplinary technology platforms, which promote a gateway for synergistic partnerships across industry and academia,” says Dr. Gaia Scalabrino, NatPro’s executive director.

Its primary facility has four equipment suites, researching in various fields:

• Molecular biology: Testing cell viability, PCR, toxicity and mechanism of action.
• Chemical identification: Spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography.
• Sample processing: Spray- and freeze-drying, milling, blending and microencapsulation.
• Physico-chemical characterization: Thermal, particle and moisture sorption analysis.

The research institute emphasizes taking an interdisciplinary approach to pooling academic, regulations and commercial expertise to unlock the power of natural products. For example, together with the Irish Research Council, NatPro researchers are investigating a plant-based essential oil complex to treat stress and anxiety in a clinical setting. 

Enterprise Ireland and Career-Fit Programme Plus are joining forces with NatPro to directly characterize algal key regulatory genes, an “emerging field with great potential” for micro-algal cultivation for pharmaceuticals and human nutraceuticals. 

NatPro’s interdisciplinary expertise aims to unlock the power of existing and new terrestrial and marine biodiversity sources.Other projects include using brewers’ spent grain as an alternative protein source for plant-based meat and dairy, as well as researching native Irish bog plants and the microbiome of unique bogland species.

Healthy for planet and people
Consumers’ naturality demands intersect with on-trend concepts like clean label and sustainability, appealing to consumers’ sensibilities around health of the planet and their bodies. 

NutritionInsight’s recent roundtable on the definition of “naturality” spotlighted how despite – or perhaps because of – the term’s vagueness, naturality demands have a significant presence in the nutrition sphere.

According to Innova Market Insights data, the most common positioning for food, drinks and supplements launched with natural ingredients in 2020 was No Preservatives and Additives – found in nearly a fifth of these launches. The market researcher also crowned “Transparency Triumphs” as its top trend for 2021, highlighting how transparency is increasing to meet evolving ethical and environmental benchmarks. 

Previous research from Trinity College has revealed high vitamin D deficiency levels in Irish seniors, as well as investigated microplastics released from infant-feeding bottles.

By Anni Schleicher