Industry Spotlight: Aprofol
About Aprofol
Aprofol is a Swiss life science company, currently in the development phase. Aprofol specialises in folates, the nature-identical derivatives of folic acid, and brings many years of experience together with the most recent findings in the fields of medicine, biology and pharmacology.
Since the company was founded in April 2013 focusing on folates has resulted in two patent applications. In the USA the patents were granted in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In Europe, Japan and other countries the patents are still pending. Innovative products are developed for established as well as new uses with Aprofol technology.
Folate intake through food consumption is too low in many populations. Taking food supplements can compensate deficiencies or can supplement an increased need (e.g. during pregnancy). High-dosage folate products are mainly used to treat chronic diseases. These products are classified as medicines.
Aprofol develops and markets products which contain folate both as a dietary supplement and a medication.
The Folate-level in the brain of autistic children is often lower than in healthy controls.
In 2004 researcher at the University Children’s Hospital in Zurich discovered a folate deficiency in the brain of children with delayed neurological development and called their finding Cerebral Folate Deficiency (CFD). The affected children had a low/very low level of Folate in their cerebrospinal fluid independent of a normal Folate-level outside the nervous system, in the blood. The conclusion at this time was that CFD could result from either disturbed folate transport or from increased folate turnover within the central nervous system (CNS).
Later on the autoantibody FRA was identified and a corresponding test was developed. The autoantibody FRA hampers or blocks the Folate-transport across the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) via the Folate-receptor-alpha (FRɑ).
In 2016 Dr. Richard Frye published the result of a study with autistic children which were treated with a high dose of Leucovorin over 12 weeks. Most of these children had an elevated FRA-value and responded favorably to the treatment with improved verbal communication. With the high dose Folate-treatment the alternate Folate-transporter (RFC) can be activated for the improvement of the Folate-level in the brain.
Dr. Frye is currently leading another study on Leucovorin in autism, using a patented Aprofol-technology.
Visit Aprofol website to learn more