Spirulina is a cyanobacteria that no longer has any secrets for
Phyco-Biotech Laboratories. Specialized in formulating and producing natural reagents with high value added, the Montpellier company uses spirulina’s properties to develop a line of food supplements for therapeutic purposes, sold under the OPHYCURE™ brand name in retail pharmacies and its own online store.
“We have successfully mastered and harnessed spirulina’s property of fixing oligo-elements,” explains Nicolas Jouy, director of research and development for the company, whose CEO is Gilbert Gay.
Thanks to the technology developed by Phyco-Biotech, these mineral salts needed by people to ensure proper internal balance are stored in spirulina’s intracellular matrix in organic form, which enables optimal assimilation of the nutrients by the body.
The company has developed a complete line of food supplements with various goals, ranging from fighting against stress and fatigue by providing magnesium needed by the body, to reinforcing immune defenses by providing selenium. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in the world. Phyco-Biotech Laboratories therefore launched a program to develop a solution to control hypertension (high blood pressure) by using the properties of silicon. A partnership was established with Inserm’s PhyMedExp laboratory in Montpellier, along with University of Montpellier and CNRS.
The pre-clinical trial highlighted the effects of silicon metabolized by spirulina produced at Phyco-Biotech Laboratories on an animal cardiovascular system. The company has now launched a randomized Phase III clinical trial, with double-blind testing against a placebo, with 120 volunteers aged 60 to 75. The trial is being conducted with the Vascular Medicine Department at the Montpellier-Nîmes CHU university hospital.
“Hypertension results from the loss of elasticity in arteries. The body compensates for this by thickening artery walls. The solution we are developing with research teams therefore seeks to restore arterial flexibility by remodeling arteries with a supplement of silicon metabolized by spirulina in order to reduce hypertension,” highlights Nicolas Jouy and Fabien Maroncles, the sales director for Phyco-Biotech Laboratories.
If this solution passes clinical trials on people, it owes its success to the use of spirulina. This example of cross-fertilization between a private company and research teams was presented on December 13 during a meeting of excellence sectors organized by Eurobiomed at the Agropolis International site. More momentum for Med Vallée!
