"Nutritargeting" - highly selective enrichment strategies for the regeneration of biological systems

There are a number of pathological conditions which are characterised by a systemic or local deficit of micronutrients. Examples of the micronutrients required for normal cell functions and therefore also for the maintenance and/or regeneration of cell groups include water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins whose metabolisation is subject to highly efficient control.

This physiological control mechanism conflicts in certain respects with indications where it is advisable from a medical point of view to apply high concentrations of micronutrients locally. In this case, the systemic balance can only be bypassed by administering extremely high concentrations of active substances. In some cases this can lead to considerable stress being put on the entire organism. It would therefore be more logical to enrich the target organs directly, without adding stress to the whole organism.

The encapsulation of active substances and their targeted administration is the approach that this project has taken. This is termed “nutritargeting”. The concept involves the use of particles (“nanoparticles”) which act as a new and intelligent carrier system to ensure a well-directed supply of micronutrients. These nanoparticles provide a universal carrier system. The fact that they can be modified can, in conjunction with new forms of application, give rise to a whole range of possible uses in new regenerative and preventative treatments, thus giving the product tremendous potential marketing scope.