More people nowadays are appreciating the contribution
of Nature to generate a positive lifestyle change.
We know that Nature
has a link to human life, ideally based on mutual balance and respect.
This is why we have always considered Nature as a partner
and have always been inspired by plants and their universal principle
to obtain precious findings.
“Science Is Our Nature” is the concept that sums up the company's DNA.
We believe it is increasingly important
to give people quick access to products
and solutions developed by our company.
This will contribute to accelerate the evolution of health culture
towards a preventive model
in which food and medicinal plants play a crucial role.
In principle, the distinction between
nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals is sharp and clear cut.
Nutritional supplements are used to optimize and maintain health
and well-being, primarily integrating the diet with nutrients.
Conversely, pharmaceuticals are intended for diagnosis, cure
and prevention of a specific disease.
In practice, the distinction is blurred for two reasons.
The first one is semantic.
In some countries,
several extracts of medicinal plants
are considered nutritional supplements, while in some others,
they are classified as traditional drugs.
The second reason is that there is a vast grey area
where nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals overlap,
especially to address milder forms of chronic diseases.
There is no doubt that an antibiotic course is the rational option
to treat a bacterial infection.
But there are many nutritional supplements opportunities to manage
mild and occasional conditions like insomnia, anxiety, stress.
And by the way, is occasional lack of sleep
a disease, or at which extent is stress is a disease?
When anxiety becomes pathological, these are questions
that are quite difficult to be answered.
Well, we've been working with Indena since
since I really took Thorne over with our team.
And there's a very specific reason that we work with them.
We find that they are
the most scientific research-based organization that we work
with anywhere in the globe
when it comes to the actual products that we that we put into Thorne.
They're extremely tough on quality control.
They don't introduce things that have not been researched.
They also work with us on a collaborative basis.
So if, for instance, we want to work in a new therapeutic area,
we will call Indena and
see if they'll start working with us at the ground floor
to bring out a product that our research has shown.
QBiotics is an Australian public unlisted company.
Our business is the discovery and commercialization
of new pharmaceuticals through plants.
Our most advanced product, Tigilanol tiglate
is a novel anti-cancer agent.
We discovered this chemical
from a tree which occurs nowhere else in the world
except for a small area
of the tropical mountain
rainforest here in North Queensland of Australia.
Even though the compounds on which we focus our discovery,
are small molecules, they often have quite complex structures.
And this raises issues about difficulties in potentially synthesis
of these in the lab and also related to isolation and purification.
If we use plant material as the raw material for the production.
So Indena is a great partner, not only from the collaborative nature
of the relationship.
We can trust that if there's an opportunity to find something new,
that they're willing to work with us
and spend the time and money to be creative.
This is where Indena’s specialist expertise
and long-term experience
in dealing with a wide range
of different types of chemical structures,
with all the subtleties of the molecular features, comes to the fore
and really allows them to help us solve our problems.
When we went to Indena for us,
they quickly demonstrated the value of this expertise and experience.
They were able to simplify and move to a commercial scale,
a highly-cost effective method for isolating and purifying
Tigilanol tiglate from plant material.
Let me describe one of the most significant example
of our approach to products development.
In the nineties, the promising anti-cancer properties of a molecule
contained in the bark of the Yew Tree identified years earlier
by the National Cancer Institute in the United States became known.
The problem was how to produce it without sacrificing the plant.
Indena scientists found an alternative solution, working on samples
initially taken from a Yew Tree in the Founder's garden.
Alongside their scientific curiosity, researchers discover
a sustainable process for producing
the desired molecule from the renewable leaves,
rather than from the bark,
thus safeguarding the Yew Tree's existence.
At this point, Indena
finalized agreements with major pharmaceutical companies
and became the main global supplier of the active ingredient
that eventually created the basis for blockbuster anti-cancer drugs.
This worldwide success enabled the company
to enter the highly specialized
field of oncology, which became fundamental to its development,
including also some new chemical entities originated in house.
Regarding innovation,
we have always implemented a process,
which starts from traditional knowledge
about the use of plants for human health.
Working in the field of ethnopharmacology,
“the study of ancient medicines”
Indena first discovers
the most relevant natural ingredients,
then scientifically screens them using state of the art methods
with the aim to generate reproducible, effective and safe ingredients.
Another important part of this process
is the standardization of an extract.
A standardized extract is a complex matrix characterized in its
phytochemical profile, which is the identity of the extract itself.
This identity remains consistent batch to batch
enabling to continuously deliver the same quality and quantity
of active principles.
The complexity of biomedical research
makes it possible to do research in an autarchic way,
meaning that we are completely in-house only to big pharma.
And for this reason, Indena as a long standing
network of collaboration
with the university, as well as private research centers
in Italy, in Europe, in the US and also in China.
Indena is also committed to foster and support educational projects
aimed at the formation and training of young researchers
interested in natural product chemistry and process chemistry.
Indena researchers and employees are involved
in teaching activities
in master and PhD courses of various universities
participated to national and EU-funded projects,
successfully interacting with complex academic consortia.
Scientific research is also one of the most important reasons
for our success,
and that makes us a very
reliable benchmark both towards clients and their consumers.
We always strive to constantly evolve our quality system
and ensure that clients could have visibility over the processes.
Finally, our sustainable sourcing program guarantees full transparency
and a very fair approach on all stakeholders involved.
Today we have a scientific evidences
that medicinal plants may actually be beneficial for healthcare.
This is why the widespread use of botanically derived pharmaceutical
and nutraceutical active ingredients is not simply a trend.
Indeed, quality is one of the main pillars of Indena.
Indena produces both pharmaceutical and herbal ingredients
and strives at producing them
according to the highest standards of quality.
Indena’s deep commitment to sustainability and biodiversity
will continue and grow with high emphasis in the years to come.