The company's technology, called m-doc, or microdispersed oxidized cellulose, has already been used in commercially available woundcare products, as it has been found to form a film over cuts, stopping bleeding rapidly. But the cellulose particles have also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels in animal studies.
The first results from a series of pre-clinical studies on the technology confirmed that it can lower LDL cholesterol by up to 20.6 per cent in a dose-dependent manner, said Alltracel in a statement.
Total cholesterol was also significantly reduced while HDL cholesterol was unaffected.
Alltracel CEO Tony Richardson pointed out that the "new knowledge of the dose-dependent efficacy effect of the m.doc technology platform confirms cholesterol lowering effects in line with commercially available sterol products".
The studies, carried out over three months in Ireleand, also threw up a potential new application area - diabetes management. There was a significant 9.3 per cent decrease in the serum glucose concentration in the preliminary tests.
Full-scale human clinical trials investigating dosage and timing are expected to start in the first quarter of 2006.
The company is already in discussion with a number of partners, including functional food makers and pharmaceutical firms, to produce a food or nutraceutical containing the compound.
But clinical results will be key to the use of health claims on new products.
And heart health products are set to be big business in the future, as Leatherhead Food predicts that this market - worth $3.6 billion market globally in 2004 - will grow by nearly 60 per cent by 2009 to reach nearly $5.7 billion.
Most cholesterol-lowering functional foods on the market today use phytosterols, soya, oatbran, psyllium (a husk used almost exclusively in Japan and Australia) or wholegrains.
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