Harnessing natural
power protein
New Zealand research company Canesis has unlocked the secrets of
keratin, nature’s power protein and the main building block of human
and animal protectors such as skin, nails, hair, horns and shells.
As a world leader in keratin ultrastructure –
which explores the smallest elements making up the protein – Canesis
Network Ltd and its spinoff venture Keratec Ltd are reconstructing
these elements into innovative natural health, lifestyle and
wellbeing alternatives.
Canesis has identified how to extract natural
keratin in a form that is soluble and therefore digestible by and
acceptable to the human body. This process is able to separate wool
fibre into its natural protein components, rather than mangling the
constituent amino acids as other processes do.
The protein is non-allergenic and rivals the
efficacy and safety of most synthetic ingredient alternatives.
Keratec is using this technology to commercialise premium
ingredients for consumer health, cosmetic and medical products.
A Keratec ingredient preventing joint breakdown
and building joint resilience called Cynatine was recently released
to an enthusiastic nutraceuticals market. Keratec is also
commercialising materials for medical devices made from keratin,
including orthopaedic devices such as bone fixation and grafting
products using technologies originally developed jointly with Otago
University in Dunedin.
Other applications include keratin wound
dressings, adhesives, bioplastics, and fibres. By breaking keratin
down to its pure, constituent amino acids, Canesis has created a
significant new building block with a wide range of applications.
These applications are natural, sustainably sourced, and potent. In
this work Canesis is building on New Zealand’s strong capability in
pasture-based plant and animal genomics.
Of particular importance is New Zealand’s unique
disease-free animal populations and the best possible animal health
status. There is no history of List A diseases and New Zealand is
one of only five countries in the world to achieve a category 1
rating by the OIE in respect of BSE and related diseases.
Canesis applied sciences general manager Dr Rob
Kelly says many blue-chip international biotechnology and consumer
product leaders have accessed Canesis knowledge, although the
details are commercially sensitive.
“A large part of our fundamental research is
funded by international companies. They come across the world to
source our knowledge about keratin.”
The company is also emerging as a leader in
formulation and efficacy science. “This means we can scientifically
substantiate the marketing claims made about ingredients, with full
understanding of the proteins’ interactions with other substances
and each other,” says Dr Kelly.
Commercial focus
Canesis is one of the largest private research
and development companies in New Zealand. It is owned by investment
company Wool Equities Ltd (75 percent) and the Wool Research
Organisation of New Zealand (25 percent).
Canesis was set up in 1961 as the Wool Research
Organisation of New Zealand. It was created to add innovation value
to one of New Zealand’s most significant agricultural commodities –
wool.
The company has four divisions: textiles,
carpets, fundamental and applied sciences. It is now a US$20 million
global company with offices in six countries, 290 partner companies
in 23 countries, and 180 staff. Canesis has itself launched
significant enterprises. Canesis and Wool Equities own SOFTswitch
Ltd, an electronics textile company based in Yorkshire, in the
United Kingdom.
SOFTswitch is developing and marketing
textile-based pressure sensing and switching devices. Burton
Snowboards has been one of the first innovative apparel companies to
utilise the new technology. Their product, which uses a SOFTswitch
sleeve panel to control an integrated personal stereo, was named by
TIME Magazine as “one of the coolest inventions of 2002”.
Other applications include pressure sensing for
medical uses such as hospital bedding and smart interior textiles to
control lighting, security, temperature or electronic appliances.
New Zealand-based companies have used Canesis research as a launch
pad for products in global demand. HotRot, recently acquired from
Canesis by New Zealand’s R5 Solutions group, applied research into
in-vessel composting technology to create new ways of handling
organic waste products.
The creators of ecoglo®, a world-leading passive
emergency lighting system, contracted Canesis to apply knowledge
gained from research into carpet manufacture to its photoluminescent
lighting recipe.
Dr Nigel Johnson, Canesis’ deputy CEO, attributes
Canesis’ research and development strength in natural fibres,
textiles, and keratin biopolymers to its holistic commercial
approach, which combines fundamental and applied science,
engineering and manufacturing with marketing know-how. Canesis
collaborates widely with other research and industry bodies. Its
partnership in the New Zealand Biopolymer Network has enabled its
scientists to collaborate with those exploring other technologies in
proteins, cellulose and starches.
International research collaborations include
Australia’s Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research
Organisation (CSIRO) and Germany’s Deutsches Wollforschungsinstitut
(DWI). New Zealand has often been colloquially described as “living
off the sheep’s back”. With the seemingly infinite applications that
Canesis can create from wool-sourced keratin, that ovine base looks
like the launching pad for generations of new products and
market-leading alternatives to myriad existing products.
www.canesis.com |
