About
Niagen Bioscience (formerly ChromaDex Corp) is the parent company of ChromaDex, Inc., a global authority on NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). As an industry leader in the advancement of NAD+ science, our ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP) is second to none in providing NAD+ precursor research material (bulk ingredient and clinical capsules, including placebo) to the academic and government research communities, including ASN members. Historically, CERP has primarily provided ChromaDex’s patented NAD+ precursor, Niagen®, nicotinamide riboside (NR) chloride, an efficient and effective booster to study NAD+, as the NAD+ molecule itself is too large to enter directly into cells. Additionally, other NAD+ precursors, which include the category of vitamin B3 molecules, have some limitations that appear to be solved with NR. Quality research requires high quality material, and we are industry leaders as active ASN Sustaining Partners, as well as members of the Council for Responsible Nutrition in leading efforts supporting the integrity of science and dietary supplements.
Niagen Bioscience - Corporate Factsheet
Why Study NAD+ as a Nutrition Scientist?
Most scientists learn about NAD+ as an important molecule in the Kreb’s cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle or the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle), though the many roles of NAD+ in hundreds of metabolic pathways is not emphasized. NAD+ is such an important molecule, that there are redundancies in how its molecular building blocks are sourced, including the recycling of a precursor in the salvage pathway. NAD+ precursors are forms of vitamin B3, and while their deficiency is known to cause the disease pellagra, the health impacts of optimizing NAD+ has become an important area of research. Additionally, the NAD+ status of the population from an epidemiological perspective is not known.
What we do know, however, is that NAD+ is important in healthy aging. Studies have shown that older individuals generally have lower levels of NAD+ in blood and tissues when compared to younger individuals. A vital coenzyme found in every cell of the human body, NAD+ declines with exposure to various stressors, including a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol, viruses, and more making NAD+ an important contributor to health and vitality.
CERP has provided material for researchers since 2013, which has resulted in more than 300 studies at more than 200 institutions in 30+ countries. While more than 95% of CERP studies are investigator-driven and third-party funded, select studies that align with business priorities may apply for funding. Some of these priorities include:
- The Role of NAD+ in Healthy Aging and Age-Related Disease
- Age-Related Declines In:
- Cognition
- Exercise Performance
- Quality of Life/Sleep
- Sensory (Vision, Hearing, Touch) Function
- Biological Age
- Women’s Health (Fertility, Menopause)
- Parenteral nutrition applications for nicotinamide riboside
- We are also interested in collaborating on opportunities to educate healthcare practitioners and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry and research communities.
Material Support & Funding Opportunities:
- The ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP) is an essential component of Niagen Bioscience’s R&D Program. We value and encourage strong scientific rigor behind our products, and our relationships with academic and government institutions help make this happen. Through CERP, we are the leading supplier of patented NR to the research community, with over 40% of all NR peer-reviewed publications using our material, worldwide. For ChromaDex, Inc.’s outstanding efforts to advance the science of NAD+, CERP was honored by European NutraIngredients in the “Nutrition Research Project” category for developing the science behind Niagen®
- Niagen® has both new dietary ingredient (NDI) and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) notifications from the US-FDA recognizing it is safe for both dietary and food ingredient needs. Our product has further been reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Health Canada, the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia (TGA), and the Ministry of Agriculture in Turkey allowing for its use in these markets. Niagen® is also approved for use in medical foods in Brazil and New Zealand. We are the only NR product that has obtained any of these safety reviews.
- Every lot of Niagen® and Tru Niagen® is tested for potency, safety, and purity, and certificates of analysis are readily available so consumers can trace their products directly to our lab.
- All batches are tested to ensure compliance to specifications and label claims, including potency through end of shelf life.
- A total of 22 tests (internal and third-party) are conducted in the testing and release of Niagen products, including the testing of the raw Niagen ingredient.
- Niagen Bioscience laboratories are ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited.
- All manufacturing facilities are visited and inspected frequently by our internal inspectors and third-party certifiers including NSF, Alkemist Labs, Star-K (Kosher), and IFANCA (Halal).
- As you determine which NAD+ precursor that you will use for your future studies, please keep the following in mind about Niagen NR:
- The stability of NR-Cl, depending on the form, is a major concern. Niagen Bioscience’s crystalline form is highly stable as a powder. Other providers may sell an amorphous form which is highly unstable, and quickly gelatinizes when exposed to air, resulting in degradation.
- Isomeric Purity. Our Niagen® is evaluated for the beta-NR conformation to ensure it is the bioactive form. If the NR-Cl is a mixture of alpha- and beta-NR, the efficacy would be reduced, and little is known if the alpha-NR conformation would inhibit the NAD+ biochemical pathway.
- Since Niagen® has been reviewed and received safety notifications for dietary and food ingredients, we understand the process and composition of the finished ingredient material. There is little known about the potential contaminants (by-products, solvents, impurities) in third-party sourced NR-Cl, which could impact study results and reproducibility.
- Niagen Bioscience also maintains a Reference Standards & Services business that provides natural products, phytochemical, and botanical reference materials. These standards are used by food companies, supplement firms, testing laboratories, and researchers to confirm the quality and accuracy of their commercial products and research materials. More information is available at: https://standards.chromadex.com/.
Career Support:
- At Niagen Bioscience, we are always looking for great talent in the areas of research & development, analytical method development, regulatory affairs, scientific affairs, and quality assurance/control. We are always open to hearing from researchers, practitioners, post-docs, and students. We have several team members with extensive experience in both academia and industry who can provide career guidance and advice. · Please contact us at niagenbio.com to learn about additional career opportunities.
Regulatory Insights and Expertise:
- Niagen Bioscience has spent several years supporting and defending inventorship and the academic institutions where the work is performed. We encourage investigators to engage their institutions’ IP teams early to determine the patentability of innovations and prevent obstruction of IP efforts. We encourage investigators to expand their research portfolio to include IP protection.
- We have extensive experience assisting investigators with their investigational new drug (IND) filings related to research on nicotinamide riboside.
- We have extensive experience bringing novel food and dietary supplement ingredients to market in the US and other countries.
- We have extensive expertise in analytical chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and dietary supplements.
Additional Information:
- Niagen Bioscience’s Tru Niagen Healthcare Practitioner website provides access to HCP-specific webinars and modules with registration. Please visit and register at: https://pro.truniagen.com/.
- Niagen Bioscience’s New YouTube Channel features investigator interviews from CERP’s 10th Anniversary: CERP 10 for 10 Series: https://www.youtube.com/@niagenbioscience