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Arkansas Research Team Develops New Product for Food Safety

(Little Rock, AR) Many of the 9,000 deaths and 76 million food-borne illnesses that occur annually in the United States may be prevented in the future by a discovery announced today by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). This major discovery by UAMS researchers offers global possibilities for helping to ensure the safety of the world's food supply.

A research team at UAMS headed by Danny Lattin, Ph.D., announced the application of the product in the food processing industry and other venues and described how it works. "Quaternary ammonium compounds have been used for decades in mouthwashes and throat lozenges," Lattin explained. "We found that this chemical is safe and kills E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter and other bacteria. In addition, it has a preventive effect. Once applied, it prevents re-contamination by bacteria that may present themselves afterwards."

The research team disclosed its findings to the University, and the institution sought a "use patent" for the product from the U.S. Patent Office. The first of several patents was granted in 1994, and developmental work on the project has continued since then.

Members of the research team are: Danny Lattin, Ph.D., Philip Breen, Ph.D., Cesar M. Compadre, Ph.D., and E. Kim Fifer, Ph.D. -- faculty members of the UAMS College of Pharmacy at the time of the discovery -- Hamid Salari, UAMS research associate, and Phillip V. Engler, research consultant. Lattin has since accepted the position of dean of the College of Pharmacy at South Dakota State University. Michael F. Slavik, Ph.D., the remaining scientist/inventor, is a faculty member at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Harry P. Ward, MD, chancellor at UAMS, sees this and other biomedical technology invented and patented by UAMS as an extension of the research mission of the institution. This product is now the foundation of a new Arkansas company, Safe Foods Corporation, which will take the product to the next step, seek required federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approvals and present it to the global marketplace. "We believe the necessary approvals will be forthcoming within the next year," Ward said. "There is a tremendous worldwide market for this product. Food processors in Arkansas, around the nation and from abroad have already expressed an interest in it," he said.
The need for this technology is apparent from news reports of food-borne illness. The center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 76 million food-borne illnesses each year with as many as 9,000 resulting deaths. Arkansas poultry scientist Amy Waldroup, Ph.D., put the CDC figures in perspective. "There are many differences in opinion regarding the actual number of cases of food-borne illness because the majority of cases are not reported to any agency," she said.

Curtis Coleman, president and CEO of Safe Foods Corporation, said that the burden for commercialization of the UAMS patents now rests upon the company's shoulders. UAMS and Safe Foods signed an agreement in June 1999 that allocated the exclusive worldwide rights to the patents to Safe Foods. In the past 10 months, Safe Foods has performed necessary marketing research, conducted pilot projects at food processing plants and secured international intellectual property protection. The next step will be to obtain regulatory approval for the product from the FDA, USDA and EPA. It has already been trademarked internationally as CecureTM. "I believe this process will move forward rather quickly because the active ingredient is already well known and has been widely and safely used by people for more than 40 years," said Coleman.

Tests in pilot plants will help confirm the appropriate method for applying the CecureTM, the correct level of dilution and the amount required for complete coverage. "Our goal is to limit the cost of acquiring and applying the product to about one cent per chicken or pound of beef," Coleman said. He continued, "Applying the product to foods produces no effect on texture, taste, or appearance of the food, and there is no odor."

Sensing the potential uses for the product, the need for this technology and its broad-spectrum efficacy, Coleman is enthusiastic about the prospects. "Once the pilot plant testing is completed and regulatory requirements are satisfied, I see it used throughout the food processing industry in the U.S. and abroad. Fish, fruits and vegetables will probably be the first application with poultry and beef to follow," he said.

The size of the market is huge. Eight billion chickens and 29 million pounds of beef were processed in the U.S. last year. The worldwide production of poultry, beef, pork and veal exceeds 400 billion pounds annually.

Larry D. Milne, Ph.D., dean of the UAMS College of Pharmacy, the academic home of most of the researchers, said, "This is a fine example of how university-based research promotes public health and builds economic development in the state."

In the last decade, UAMS has entered the field of economic development through technology transfer and has become a major player in the southeast region. Since the inception of the Biomedical Biotechnology Center (BBC) in 1994, UAMS has filed 95 patent applications with 24 patents issued, 14 allowed and 57 pending. According to Timothy J. O'Brien, Ph.D., director of the Center, the UAMS patent portfolio is now accumulating 25-30 patents per year and providing unique opportunities for licensing and in-state commercial development. Through Arkansas BioVentures, a biotechnology economic program spawned in 1997 by the BBC, these opportunities are translated into new start-up biotech companies in Arkansas. Safe Foods Corporation is one of seven such companies and is a fine example of successfully combining Arkansas management and finance with UAMS biotechnology.

The university could have taken several different pathways for actual development of this patented technology. "University patents are usually licensed to established companies in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. The university receives royalty payments based on sales," O'Brien explained. "But in more recent times, the university, through Arkansas BioVentures, has taken a more direct and active role in technology development. UAMS has formed seven spin-off companies based on inventions with potential for development in Arkansas and has retained an equity stake in them. UAMS is fully engaged in the development process and gets a negotiated share of the revenue generated by the invention," he said.

The proceeds are shared with the research team and with the department and college of the researchers. The revenue creates an important financial incentive for those seeking the next patentable idea. The university also earns a part of the revenue, and typically this is used to offset its up-front costs and as "seed money" for the next wave of technology.

Inventor Lattin said, "This is a wonderful example of how basic scientific research can lead to solutions to problems facing humanity. It demonstrates the true value of basic science research. This effort also shows that university researchers can collaborate with the business sector to address societal needs."

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