Smartfish NutriDrug: Efficient oral drug delivery system for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases

Smartfish has several drinks on the market, both for special medical purposes and for athletes for improved immune system and restitution. The drinks are rich in marine oil, natural antioxidants, whey protein, fiber and Vitamin D. An important ingredient and raw material in all Smartfish products are DHA and EPA fatty acids from marine oil, a biproduct from the Norwegian fish industry. Studies performed with Smartfish drinks for various medical conditions such as inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, COPD, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and muscle restitution have shown positive effects. It has further been demonstratedd that the patented Smartfish formulation results in increased stability and uptake of both marine oil and oil-soluble active compounds from the intestines. The main goal of the project was to develop a new, efficient oral drug delivery system for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The innovation was based on combining Smartfish drinks with drugs either as adjuvant therapy or in a nano-formulation. The project was a close collaboration between Smartfish and SINTEF. The project has shown that stable nano-formulations can be developed and studies on cell cultures has shown promising results on efficacy of the novel formulations. In addition, it has been shown that Smartfish drinks used as adjuvant therapy to these drugs improve the efficacy of the drugs to some extent. Advanced cell-based assays and bioanalytical methods have been developed to determine intestinal uptake and biodistribution for both drugs and their degradation products. Superior uptake in the gut has been shown with the Smartfish drink as well as anti-inflammatory effects in a mouse model. The results will be presented in scientific publications. Next steps will be to develop this drink further with the aim to reach clinical studies and eventually to become available for patients.

This project has shown that Smartfish emulsions often have better efficacy than the individual nutrients or drugs themselves when given in preclinical models of cancer, infection or inflammation. These data are planned to be published and the project will continue, with the aim to have a new product for patients in the future. In addition, bioanalytical methods have been establised that can be utilized in the project and other projects going forward. Smartfish and Sintef has establised a close and successful collaboration, which may lead to new projects.

This innovation project will develop drink-based therapeutic products that enable more effective treatment of cancer, infectious diseases and other inflammatory conditions. The improved treatment will have invaluable impact on well-being of patients and will have wider socioeconomic benefits through reduced costs of treatment. Effective oral administration of poorly soluble or unstable drugs represent a holy grail for the pharmaceutical industry, and a proven technology delivering this could claim essentially unlimited market value through competitive advantages such as reduced need of hospitalization, ability to increase dosing frequency, improved patient adherence to long-term therapies, extended patent coverage and facilitation of global drug distribution including third world countries. Smartfish is a Norwegian SMB who manufacture and produce nutritional drinks containing marine oil, natural antioxidants, whey protein, fiber and vitamin D. They have demonstrated improved immune response and anticancer effect of curcuminoids and omega-3 fatty acids, compared to these agents taken in the dilute form. The patented Smartfish formulation has increased stability and uptake of both marine oil and oil soluble components from the gut compared to single administration of the compounds. Thus, we aim to prove that novel formulations based on Smartfish technology can be used for improved oral administration for a wide range of drugs, with particular focus on anticancer and antimicrobial agents. A broad range of advanced methods will be employed to develop, characterize and produce novel drug-containing nanoformulations as well as Smartfish formulation and drug combinations. High-throughput screening will be used to select the most favorable formulations, drugs, and combinations thereof for in vivo studies. The project has great potential for value and IP creation, but also a high research need. Considering its broad scientific challenges, the realization of the innovation will require external expertise from SINTEF.