Benzinga | Oct 19, 2020 06:35AM EDT

ChromaDex Corp Announces New Study from NIH Finds Nicotinamide Riboside Helps Improve Telomere Dysfunction in Human Cells, Mice

ChromaDex Corp. (NASDAQ:CDXC) today highlighted a new study published in The European Molecular Biology Organization Journal looking at the effect of nicotinamide riboside (NR) on maintaining telomeres, the protective regions at the end of DNA strands. This study is the first to show that by increasing NAD+, NR helped protect telomeres which are important in addressing life-threatening telomere-related diseases, paving the way for future clinical research. The study was conducted by investigators at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), parts of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The role of ChromaDex in this study was to provide NR through the ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP). All other aspects of the study, including analysis of the results and writing of the manuscript were conducted independently by the authors.

"Telomere attrition is recognized as one of the nine hallmarks of aging and it is well accepted that telomeres play a significant role in aging and many age-related health declines," said Frank Jaksch, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of ChromaDex. "These preliminary results suggest that NR can impact telomere function."

Telomeres are "caps" at the end of chromosomes that protect DNA from getting worn away as cells replicate. Telomeres degrade and shorten with age and can become excessively damaged in certain genetic diseases, as well as from lifestyle factors such as smoking, poor diet, and chronic stress. Shortening of telomeres is associated with the symptoms of aging, heart disease, DNA damage and uncontrolled cell replication, which can lead to cancer.

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a disease of pre-mature aging, which occurs due to a deficiency of telomere maintenance proteins. Without normal telomere function, DC presents with early-onset, life-threatening symptoms of aging in the skin, bone marrow, lungs, heart and brain.

In this recently published study, scientists examined connective tissue cells from DC patients and found that, not only were their telomeres significantly damaged, but they were also depleted in NAD+. Likewise, these scientists produced "telomere-depleted" mice by inactivating a gene for telomerase, the enzyme that extends telomeres. These mice also had low NAD+ levels.

The scientists then supplemented the cells and mice with NR. NR works by raising levels of NAD+, an important regulator that is known to naturally decline with age. In this study NR increased NAD+ levels, reduced signs of telomere damage, promoted cell growth and prevented senescence (cellular aging) in the DC cells.

These promising findings suggest that NAD+ repletion plays a role in maintaining healthy telomere function; however, additional research is needed.

While congenital telomere disorders like DC are rare, telomere dysfunction is implicated in signs and symptoms of normal human aging. Whether NR could play a role in supporting various aging organs is currently under investigation in dozens of human trials.

ChromaDex, the exclusive licensee of Dr. Charles Brenner's patented NR, has invested over $35 million in investigating, manufacturing and offering NR in the form of Niagen and has secured more than 20 patents. ChromaDex has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of Niagen in 11 published human trials (and over 20 additional ongoing studies further evaluating its safety and efficacy) and has achieved government regulatory acceptance in the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Australia.

For additional information about ChromaDex, please visit www.chromadex.com.