SHERWOOD, Ore., May 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Entia Biosciences, Inc. (OTCBB:ERGO) (ENTIA) has developed a new medical food for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a systemic autoimmune disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function in the joints. RA affects roughly 1-2% of the world-wide population and occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly starts attacking healthy tissue, causing inflammation in the joints and a progressive loss of flexibility. If not managed properly, over time, RA can cause joint damage and can even result in permanent joint destruction.
ErgoD2™ Flex-RA is based on Entia's proprietary ErgoD2™ whole-food formulations that are 100% vegan and USDA certified organic. ErgoD2™ contains naturally high concentrations of the powerful antioxidants Ergothioneine and Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2), which has been enhanced using Entia's patent pending UV light technology to safely increase vitamin D2 levels by greater than 1,000%. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps maintain a healthy immune system and activates the cells that fight inflammation and infection. During the past decade, there's been an explosion of research suggesting that vitamin D additionally plays a significant role in joint health and that low levels may be a risk factor for rheumatologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. According to a study presented at the 2008 European Union League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) meeting in Paris, nearly 75 percent of patients who presented at a rheumatology clinic, including those who were subsequently diagnosed with inflammatory joint diseases, soft-tissue rheumatism, uncomplicated musculoskeletal backache or osteoporosis, were deficient in vitamin D.
Ergothioneine is an important amino acid that is not manufactured in mammals but is acquired exclusively from food and is carried throughout the body by a unique and specific transporter (ETT; human gene symbol SLC22A4). Research at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has shown that cells lacking ETT are more susceptible to damage and death from free radicals and oxidative stress and in November 2011, Entia announced a study with Lifespan Biosciences to determine where this unique transporter gene is over and under expressed in a wide variety of normal and diseased human tissues. The results of this study confirmed high concentrations of ETT in proliferating reactive synoviocytes and subsynovial histiocytes within RA tissues with little to no expression in normal tissues, suggesting an essential physiological purpose for Ergothioneine in RA. Entia acquired the exclusive world-wide diagnostic and therapeutic rights to the ETT patent from the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, in 2010 and has recently filed additional patents covering the use of Ergothioneine in treating a variety of autoimmune conditions, including RA. Entia and Lifespan Biosciences are also currently studying osteoarthritis (OA) tissue samples for over or under expression of ETT. OA is the most common form of arthritis and is a leading cause of chronic disability throughout the world, affecting 8 million people in the United Kingdom and nearly 27 million people in the United States. OA is considered a degenerative joint disease with an unmet medical need (not adequately addressed by an existing therapy) and its causative pathophysiology is not well-established. The work with Lifespan will help to establish what role Ergothioneine and its transporter may play in the evaluation and treatment of this debilitating disease.
About ErgoD2™ Flex-RA
ErgoD2™ Flex-RA is an encapsulated medical food product formulated to improve immune function, control joint inflammation, and potentially mediate systemic and local RA symptoms. The active anti-inflammatory bionutrients in this food product target a patient's dysregulated immune function and potentially lower production of toxic cytokines/free radicals, especially tumor necrosis factor, that cause joint damage. Use of this medical food could result in the reduction or delay of costly RA drug therapy.
About Entia Biosciences, Inc.
ENTIA is an emerging leader in food science biotechnology that identifies, scientifically validates, and commercializes solutions that address multi-billion dollar markets for organic health, beauty and agriculture. The Company's growing portfolio of intellectual property includes extraction, enhancement, and uses for some of the most powerful antioxidants and bio-nutrients occurring in nature.
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Any statements contained in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risks associated with the transaction described in this press release, and other risks identified in the filings by ENTIA with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Further information on risks faced by ENTIA are detailed in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and in its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. These filings are or will become available on a website maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov. The information contained in this press release is accurate as of the date indicated. Actual results, events or performance may differ materially. ENTIA does not undertake any obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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