Provexis, a UK-based company which develops novel functional food ingredients, said this week it has secured the venture capital required to bring its lead product, CardioFlow, to market.
Developed by scientists at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, CardioFlow is a patented tomato extract which has been shown in human trials to have an inhibitory effect on blood platelets, thereby reducing the propensity to excessive blood clotting. It is this aberrant blood clotting that leads to most cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke and deep vein thrombosis.
Provexis claims that its natural food ingredient has the capacity to make a significant contribution to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Tomatoes, perhaps better known for their positive role on prostate health - thanks to their high lycopene content - are increasingly regarded as beneficial for heart health.
Provexis chief executive officer, Dr Stephen Franklin, said: "Consumers are increasingly familiar with food products which claim a cholesterol lowering effect and these products currently dominate the $3.4 billion (€3.4bn) heart-healthy food market. However, CardioFlow will underpin a new generation of heart-healthy foods - likely to be premium fruit juice drinks in the first instance - which have a rapid and positive effect on blood thinning."
"As part of a normal diet, these foods will help to maintain healthy blood flow and reduce the incidence of preventable heart disease," he added.
Dr Niamh O'Kennedy, the Provexis scientist leading the development of CardioFlow, said: "Most people are familiar with aspirin, often hailed as a wonder drug which can help thin the blood. CardioFlow's mechanism of action is more sophisticated than aspirin - making it more likely to be effective in actually preventing cardiovascular disease whilst avoiding many of the side effects associated with aspirin."
She continued: "Equally importantly, CardioFlow is a natural fruit-derived extract that can be added to food products to provide health benefits without affecting the taste."
After a final large-scale human trial in 2003, Provexis said it will seek to complete a deal with a major brand-holding food company. The company is anticipating that a new range of heart-healthy products containing its ingredient will be on the market in 2004. A "heart-healthy" orange juice will likely be the first product launched.