Nutraceuticals World (NW): Helaina is relatively new to the dietary supplement and functional food / beverage market. Can you briefly introduce Helaina and its mission?
 
Laura Katz, CEO, Helaina: The spark for Helaina came to me on the New York City subway. I was listening to a podcast about black market breast milk, featuring people from all walks of life. These individuals were telling stories about how they went to extreme lengths, traveling across state lines and digging into the dark web to get the powerful nutritional benefits of breast milk. This made me wonder if the compounds in human bioactive proteins might serve other populations, too, including people of any age seeking immunity support or high-performance athletes. The podcast prompted a question: what if we could make and scale those components to improve health for all phases of life? Which was the start of Helaina in 2019.
 
The seeds of Helaina also stretch back into my childhood. My mom suffered from Type 1 Diabetes. From a young age, as I watched her choose certain foods to manage her health, the power of diet as a tool to promote vitality and health became crystal clear. As a food scientist, developing the next generation of ingredients is personal for me, and our first ingredient — effera™ human lactoferrin — is just the beginning.
 

NW: The company’s first ingredient is effera™ Human Lactoferrin. What makes it unique in today’s market?
 
Katz: effera™ is the first available human equivalent lactoferrin for food and supplement applications. We have successfully replicated the protein found in human colostrum and produced by the human body in maternal milk, blood, sweat, and tears. Lactoferrin has been extensively studied for its potential benefits across a wide range of populations.
 
Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein that sequesters and delivers iron where it is needed most, providing health benefits for gut and immune health, women’s health, and active nutrition. effera’s™ unique ability to optimize iron offers a wide range of benefits, including:
 

• Supporting a balanced immune and inflammatory response*
• Supporting oxygen delivery to the muscles*
• Supporting healthy gut function and microbiome*

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NW: Can you discuss the “precision fermentation” technology Helaina uses to produce the ingredient?
 
Katz: Helaina’s precision fermentation technology recreates functional proteins in the human body making them available as new nutrients that feature a novel approach to health and wellness. These replicated proteins mirror their natural counterparts with precision and ensure optimal bioavailability within the human body. Through rigorous quality control measures, each batch of bioactive compounds meets the highest quality standards for purity and efficacy.

 
NW: Can you discuss the science supporting effera™? What does your research show?
 
Katz: effera™ is the only human equivalent lactoferrin available on the market for food and supplement applications.
 
Most recently, Helaina ran its first gold-standard clinical study — a randomized, double-blind controlled study to measure the body’s responses to effera™. This was the first-ever study to compare the immune impact of lactoferrin on the body, comparing bovine lactoferrin to human lactoferrin as effera™, which established the benefits of using human proteins. The subjects were healthy adults who received low-dose effera™, high-dose effera™, and high-dose bovine lactoferrin.
 
The results of the study showed that participants taking bovine lactoferrin produced antibodies against the protein, suggesting an immunogenic response against bovine lactoferrin. Meanwhile, participants taking effera™, at both a high and low-dose, produced no antibodies against the protein, suggesting a better tolerability of the ingredient.

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In addition, published findings in Nutrients evaluated the digestibility of bovine vs. effera™ human lactoferrin vs. human breast milk lactoferrin. The research indicated that effera™ survives digestion and has similar peptide release to lactoferrin in human breast milk. Both effera™ and breast milk lactoferrin remain structurally intact during digestion, whereas bovine lactoferrin breaks down in digestion very quickly. These findings suggest that effera™ is more similar to human lactoferrin than bovine lactoferrin regarding protein survival and peptide profiles, suggesting that effera™ supplements could better replicate the benefits of human lactoferrin effects compared to bovine lactoferrin.
 
According to these findings, unlike bovine lactoferrin, effera™ demonstrates an exceptional ability to replicate the natural function of human lactoferrin. This makes effera™ a more effective alternative for those seeking a supplement that aligns closely with the body’s natural processes.
 

NW: What health applications and product formulations make sense for effera™? 
 
Katz: effera™ is a versatile ingredient that can be easily incorporated into multiple formats. Whether its capsules, powders, ready-to-mix, bars, gummies, or beverages, effera™ can be formulated into different product types without losing its efficacy. effera™ has been clinically studied for safety, quality, and stability, offering manufacturers an efficacious product with simplified formulation options with reliable supply and unmatched quality.

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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.