Bod Australia and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) believe they might have found the secret to anti-ageing.

Bod (ASX:BDA), maker of skincare products with a focus on medicinal cannabis, has published the results of a three-year study conducted with UTS that has found a novel family of proteins in human cells that provide antioxidant protective effects when applied to skin cells.

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It says this may lead to new topical application products that can help guard against the skin ageing process, and the two are exploring whether the proteins can be used as a delivery method for cannabidiol and hemp extracts.

The news certainly got shareholders excited, with BOD shares jumping to 63c, a 21 per cent increase on yesterday’s close of 52c.

“The results of this three year collaboration provide us a fantastic commercial opportunity in both the anti-ageing and cannabis markets which are both rapidly growing and ever changing,” Jo Patterson, Bod CEO, said.

“The company is in the position to develop a suite of products that utilise these novel proteins in combination with specific CBD extracts and other cannabis compounds, allowing for increased optionality over its broader product suite. This will position Bod with an IP protected and patentable product suite building greater value for the total business.”

The proteins were found to be key players in protecting cells and helping to increase both their tolerance and recovery to ultraviolet light, along with other sources of oxidative damage when over-expressed in mammalian cells. Further experiments showed increased levels of antioxidant activity, cellular growth and metabolism.

Professor Stella Valenzuela described the scientific discoveries as “extremely exciting and promising”.

“They offer a number of new opportunities for translation of our research into products for use in the beauty and health care area,” she said.

Bod and UTS will now look in to how to incorporate the proteins, and potentially plant extracts, into skin creams, with Bod saying it hopes to update shareholders soon on the commercialisation process.


 

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