Hyderabad: In a major boost to the fight against the dreaded coronavirus, a city-based startup incubated at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has developed a new nutraceutical that they claim will boost immunity.
The start-up Clone Deals, incubated at the Atal-CCMB (AIC-CCMB) incubation center, has developed ‘CoronAid’, a food supplement made from a fungus (Cordyceps militaris) that grows in the Himalayan region and is known for its immunity. -Stimulating and antioxidant components. With the results of the clinical trials, the product is expected to be available from December 2020 in most cities and towns.
In collaboration with another city-based company, food company Ambrosia, Clone Deals has developed a combination of mushroom powder with curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, to make CoronAid’s antiviral immunity booster oral suspension.
The cordycepin in mushroom powder is known to prevent the formation of new DNA and RNA strands. Clone Deals has collaborated with scientists at CCMB to establish the potency of cordycepin to stop the growth of the coronavirus causing Covid-19 in a cell culture system. Studies show that cordycepin inhibits the multiplication of the coronavirus.
Clone Deals is experienced in the large-scale production of the mushroom in a controlled environment for medicinal use. Currently, the team has obtained FSSAI approval for commercialization and submitted it to the Government of India for clinical trials to establish the safety of its formulation with three institutes of medical sciences across India in Nagpur, Navi Mumbai and Bhopal.
Dr. Prakash Ayodhya Pandem and M. Ateek Patel of Clone Deals hope that CoronAid will be a New Years gift to the world and add considerable protection against the virus. CCMB Director Dr. Rakesh Mishra expressed his pleasure in supporting a new company focused on developing indigenous natural products and adding value by establishing its scientific foundation.
Dr Madhusudhana Rao, AIC-CCMB CEO, said that providing the necessary facilities and scientific support to startups like Clone Deals is critical to their technology validation and market readiness.
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