The Company

A pharmaceutical company which produces a treatment for venous insufficiency by extracting aescins from horse chestnuts.

The Question

The Production process that is required in order to extract commercially viable quantities of aescin results in a large amounts of ‘spent’ horse chestnuts. The company approached the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research to evaluate the potential for conversion of this by-product into an additional product stream.

Solution through the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research

the Centre for Applied Bioscience Research has an optimised process for the targeting of by-product streams, which consists of extractions under a variety of conditions (solvent based and super critical fluid) and/or fermentations followed by an extensive screening program which includes among others: screening for anti-oxidants, anti-microbials and immune-modulatory compounds. The screening process will identify crude extracts that possess bioactive potential, selected extracts are then purified and characterised before being identified. The expertise and capabilities of our research staff include Protein Biochemistry, Cell Culture, Immunology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Fungal Biology and Food Science and are crucial to this process.

The by-product from this company has been subject to the processes outlined above, as well as supplemental screening and development. Lead extracts have been identified and are currently the object of further development