Entia Biosciences, Inc.,an emerging leader in food science biotechnology , has launched a new medical food for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic autoimmune disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function in the joints.

RA affects roughly 1-2 per cent of the world-wide population and occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly starts attacking healthy tissue, causing inflammation in the joints and a progressive loss of flexibility. If not managed properly, over time, RA can cause joint damage and can even result in permanent joint destruction.

ErgoD2 Flex-RA is based on Entia's proprietary ErgoD2 whole-food formulations that are 100 per cent vegan and USDA certified organic. ErgoD2 contains naturally high concentrations of the powerful antioxidants Ergothioneine and Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2), which has been enhanced using Entia's patent pending UV light technology to safely increase vitamin D2 levels by greater than 1,000 per cent. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps maintain a healthy immune system and activates the cells that fight inflammation and infection.

During the past decade, there's been an explosion of research suggesting that vitamin D additionally plays a significant role in joint health and that low levels may be a risk factor for rheumatologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. According to a study presented at the 2008 European Union League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) meeting in Paris, nearly 75 per cent of patients who presented at a rheumatology clinic, including those who were subsequently diagnosed with inflammatory joint diseases, soft-tissue rheumatism, uncomplicated musculoskeletal backache or osteoporosis, were deficient in vitamin D.

Ergothioneine is an important amino acid that is not manufactured in mammals but is acquired exclusively from food and is carried throughout the body by a unique and specific transporter (ETT; human gene symbol SLC22A4). Research at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has shown that cells lacking ETT are more susceptible to damage and death from free radicals and oxidative stress and in November 2011, Entia announced a study with Lifespan Biosciences to determine where this unique transporter gene is over and under expressed in a wide variety of normal and diseased human tissues. The results of this study confirmed high concentrations of ETT in proliferating reactive synoviocytes and subsynovial histiocytes within RA tissues with little to no expression in normal tissues, suggesting an essential physiological purpose for Ergothioneine in RA.

Entia acquired the exclusive world-wide diagnostic and therapeutic rights to the ETT patent from the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, in 2010 and has recently filed additional patents covering the use of Ergothioneine in treating a variety of autoimmune conditions, including RA. Entia and Lifespan Biosciences are also currently studying osteoarthritis (OA) tissue samples for over or under expression of ETT.

OA is the most common form of arthritis and is a leading cause of chronic disability throughout the world and considered a degenerative joint disease with an unmet medical need (not adequately addressed by an existing therapy) and its causative pathophysiology is not well-established. The work with Lifespan will help to establish what role Ergothioneine and its transporter may play in the evaluation and treatment of this debilitating disease.

ErgoD2 Flex-RA is an encapsulated medical food product formulated to improve immune function, control joint inflammation, and potentially mediate systemic and local RA symptoms. The active anti-inflammatory bionutrients in this food product target a patient's dysregulated immune function and potentially lower production of toxic cytokines/free radicals, especially tumor necrosis factor, that cause joint damage. Use of this medical food could result in the reduction or delay of costly RA drug therapy.

ENTIA is an emerging leader in food science biotechnology that identifies, scientifically validates, and commercializes solutions that address multi-billion dollar markets for organic health, beauty and agriculture.