Metabolon Granted Patent for Determining Metabolic Age of an Individual

The European Patent Office awarded the patent to Metabolon on December 7, 2011 and is the first patent issued to Metabolon by the EPO. The newly issued patent extends Metabolon’s intellectual property (IP) related to biomarkers of metabolic age; US7,781,160, the related United States Patent, was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in August 2010.

As more information regarding the impact of nutrition on health-related issues becomes available and as the population ages, interest in health and nutrition has increased. The metabolism of an individual has been clinically shown to change with age, but until recently the ability to monitor metabolite changes has been limited to targeted assays. With the development of metabolomics analysis, changes in metabolites can now be monitored globally in a non-targeted manner. This approach allows a metabolic profile to be determined for a group or an individual by providing biomarkers and methods which can be used to determine their metabolic age. The profile will also allow for classification as a positive or negative and will provide guidance as to how to improve a negative profile and in effect, the individual’s health.