The filing focuses largely on innovating production methods for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme involved in cellular energy production and other metabolic processes. The patent notes its role in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy for cells.
One of the goals outlined in the patent is to produce nutritional compounds “inexpensively and quickly, in high volumes.”
The applicant, Bio Capital Holdings, LLC, a synthetic biology company based in Houston, TX, details the engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as Brewer’s yeast or Baker’s yeast, to increase NAD production, with the resulting extracts or lysates intended for use in nutritional products.
Using yeast to produce NAD+
The patented system adds five genes involved in NAD production to S. cerevisiae, producing enzymes that help the yeast make NAD.
The system combines enzymes from two of the pathways cells use to make NAD, an approach the inventors said could increase NAD production. The patent describes enzymes involved in both “the de novo pathway and the salvage pathway, thereby increasing the total yield of NAD from the disclosed devices.”
The resulting yeast extracts and lysates can contain NAD+ along with related compounds including NADH, NADP+ and NADPH.
The inventors tested the engineered yeast against unmodified S. cerevisiae. In one experiment, the cultures were grown for four days, with beta-NMN added after 48 hours.
Samples from 10 replicates were later analyzed for NAD, NADH and nicotinamide, and “the disclosed devices showed higher production of NAD with or without current compared to untransformed controls,” the patent stated.
The researchers also tested molasses as a medium for growing the yeast. According to the filing, those results suggested it could be an economical alternative to standard culture media.
From production to formulation
The patent also tested the water solubility of an NAD-containing yeast lysate against commercial NAD.
Researchers prepared both at concentrations ranging from 0.5 mg/mL to 5 mg/mL. Under the test conditions, the commercial NAD did not completely dissolve in water, while the yeast lysate did, the inventors reported.
The finding could have implications for some of the patent’s applications, including beverages. However, the experiment only tested solubility and did not establish whether the difference would improve absorption or bioavailability.
The filing covers a range of potential formats, including capsules, tablets, powders, sublingual strips, functional foods and beverages. It also describes freeze-drying or spray-drying the extracts and lysates for incorporation into food and beverage products.
Other possibilities include combining the NAD-containing material with extracts or lysates containing additional nutrients, including vitamins and carotenoids.
The experiments offer an early test of the production approach, with the engineered system producing more NAD than unmodified controls and the resulting lysate showing greater water solubility than the commercial NAD tested.
What remains unclear is how the technology would perform at commercial scale. The patent does not provide evidence of commercial-scale yields or establish whether the resulting NAD-containing material offers an advantage when consumed.
Source: US Patent Application Publication No. US 2026/0250695 A1. “Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Devices and Compositions and Methods for Making the Same” Inventor: Raul Cuero Rengifo, Published: Aug. 27, 2026
