ChromaDex’s NR trials and Elysium to start six new trials of Basis

For anyone interested in the continuing NR (nicotinamide riboside = version of vitamin B3) saga:

Researchers from the University of Colorado along with ChromaDex, the erstwhile monopoly supplier of NR, now shifting to a retailer of NR, held a conference on the results of people taking 1000 mg of NR a day versus those taking a placebo but will not release the results to the public yet.

Elysium, with its six Nobel laureates on its science advisory board, found a new source of NR after ChromaDex blocked their supply (ChromaDex have sued Elysium for non-payment), and I assume it is from somewhere like China where the manufacturing patent for NR does not hold. Elysium has also filed a complaint against the existence of ChromaDex’s NR manufacturing patents.

The co-founder of Elysium, Leondard Guarente, an MIT longevity microbiologist, said recently that six more trials of their BASIS (NR with pterostilbine) are about to start testing health endpoints at more levels of each molecule. They also haven’t released the detailed data of their 120 person (ages 60 to 79) study that was completed last July.

So more trial results delays, but it looks promising that Elysium is setting up six more trials and also trials for other compounds. NR has already been shown to be helpful in improving heart failure in mice and Guarente is optimistic that Elysium / NR will “disrupt the neutraceutical industry and maybe have ripples that affect the drug industry”, and I’m guessing one major area will be heart health.

Leonard Guarente speaking for 15 minutes at MIT: