Biotech company Pharming Group NV (Pharming) has initiated a two-year Food & Nutrition Delta (FND) innovation project to further develop human lactoferrin (hLF) as a nutritional product to manage inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
The goal of this programme is to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of hLF as a component of functional foods for maintaining remission periods in patients with IBD. Pharming is collaborating with NIZO food research BV (Ede), the Maastricht University Medical Centre (Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology), NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism (Maastricht) and TNO (Zeist). A € 400.000 subsidy was granted by FND, which is an Innovation Programme of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, executed by its agency SenterNovem. The subsidy will cover a significant portion of the costs of the early phases of the project.
Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of intestinal inflammatory conditions, characterized by diarrhoea and abdominal pain, which reduce quality of life. The major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. In the Western world, the number of IBD patients is rapidly growing. In 2008, almost 2.2 million individuals in Europe (90,000 patients in the Netherlands) suffered from IBD and in the Netherlands alone, 5,500 new patients are identified yearly. Current therapies are aiming at inducing remission or preventing relapses and are associated with high costs and possible side effects. Therefore, a significant medical need currently exists.
As hLF has anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties, it could provide an effective nutritional support for IBD-patients potentially preventing or delaying periods of relapse of the disease. Pharming's human lactoferrin might also be beneficial in alleviating or preventing symptoms of other chronic or acute intestinal diseases such as Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS or spastic colon) and Traveler's diarrhoea.
Pharming Group NV is developing innovative products for the treatment of genetic disorders, ageing diseases, specialty products for surgical indications, intermediates for various applications and nutritional products.
SenterNovem, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, promotes sustainable development and innovation and aims to achieve tangible results that have a positive effect on the economy and on society as a whole.
NIZO food research (Food Valley, Netherlands) is an independent research company, focusing on driving innovations and helping industry to be more profitable by developing and improving new product benefits in the areas of flavour, texture, health, food safety and processing, by providing speed and by supporting image.
The Maastricht University is the youngest university in the Netherlands and is known for its innovative education system, advanced research and international orientation.
TNO is an innovative Dutch knowledge institute developing, integrating and applying knowledge: to generate new products, services and processes, fully customised for business and government.