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A Czech university seeks pharmaceutical company to licence production of ultra-pure betulin and lupeol.

Country of Origin: Czech Republic
Reference Number: TOCZ20170315001
Publication Date: 27 March 2017

Summary

A Czech university has developed and patented a method of purification of betulin and lupeol for pharmaceutical purposes. The natural compound betulin has gained importance for its  anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-mycotic, anti-viral, anti-cancer and hepatoprotective properties. Researchers have developed a simple and environmentally-friendly production method assuring ultra-purity level at a low cost. The university is seeking a pharmaceutical company interested in purchasing a license.

Description

Researchers from a Czech university have developed a novel production method of betulin and lupeol of very high purity levels at a low cost. Betulin is a molecule naturally occurring in birch bark that is currently under investigation as a pharmaceutical compound.



It has been found that it has anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-mycotic, anti-viral, anti-cancer, hepatoprotective and many more valuable properties, which are currently valorized mostly in the cosmetic industry. However, scientists predict an increased demand, especially in the field of cancer therapeutics thanks to a low incidence of side effects and much reduced production costs. 



For this reason, natural compounds, such as betulin have gained importance. 

However, existing betulin purification methods bear significant disadvantages which can limit the pharmaceutical applications of the molecule. High purity grades are necessary for medical applications, but are difficult to achieve. Methods that do reach these medical standards, on the other hand, are often very expensive, time-consuming and/or environmentally unfriendly, e.g. due to the large amount of solvents used for purification and/or of other non-recyclable material. 



In order to solve these problems, a novel purification method has been developed. The five step extraction and purification process achieves very high purity grades (99.5% for betulin) without the use of complicated technological equipment.



 Additionally, almost 100% of the solvents used in this process are recycled, resulting in an extremely environmentally-friendly and cheap procedure. Without major changes to the current production technology, simultaneous purification of lupeol (another pharmaceutical molecule) and production of a basic source of suberin are also possible and can be of interest to a technology partner.  

The institution is a research facility only and therefore they are seeking a pharmaceutical company interested in purchasing a licence based on a licensing agreement.

Advantages and Innovations

- High degree of purity (99.5 % for betulin, more than 95 % for lupeol)

- Simple chemical procedures

- Production possible with simple and standard technological equipment

- Use of cheap solvents, that can be almost entirely recycled, resulting in a very cheap process

- Minimal use of unrecyclable materials (e.g. NaOH and HCl, common and cheap chemicals that can easily be neutralised)

- Ecological production without toxic waste thanks to circular method in which almost everything can be recycled

- Practically unlimited production capacity

Stage Of Development

Available for demonstration

Requested partner

University is looking for a pharmaceutical company that has a very good expertise in production of natural compounds either for its utilization or for further distribution. The company is expected to produce ultra-pure betulin, interest in production of lupeol is welcomed but not necessary. This company is expected to buy a license based on a licensing agreement.