Spring Break
Univ partners with Smart Balance
by Nashrah Rahman
Editorial assistant
News | 11/18/08
Posted online at 4:32 AM EST on 11/18/08
Brandeis has partnered with Smart Balance Inc., which markets reduced- trans fat and trans fat-free foods, in a $1 million industry-sponsored research agreement-the second largest in the University's history-to develop more healthful combinations of fats for Smart Balance, Executive Director of the Office of Technology Licensing Irene Abrams said.
Prof. Kenneth Hayes (BIOL) and Daniel Perlman (PHYS) developed the original technology that currently forms the basis of Smart Balance in the early 1990s after realizing the "unhealthy" aspects of consuming trans fats, Hayes said.
Abrams said that the patent for this original technology was issued in 1996, and Brandeis now licenses the patented technology to Smart Balance. The University is still responsible for protecting the intellectual property of this technology, which means that it cannot reveal the particulars of the original technology. Brandeis does not license the technology to other companies, but Smart Balance can sublicense it to other companies, Abrams said.
Abrams said the research agreement is going to be paid over the course of 10 years. She said that starting next semester, the University will receive $65,000 that will be paid over the course of the next three years to support the bulk of the initial research. The rest of the money will be paid directly to the University over a longer period of time.
The new research aims to "improve the balance" of LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels in the body by exploring other factors that affect diet, such as diabetes, Hayes said. He explained that in contrast to the good cholesterol HDL, LDL is the "bad" lipoprotein, which is responsible for illnesses such as coronary heart disease.
Hayes explained that diabetes is related not only to the amount of food one eats but also to the type and amount of fat one consumes. He hopes that the research opportunity will enable Perlman and himself to find ways of improving blood sugar levels. Hayes and Perlman could not disclose the details of their research.
Prof. Kenneth Hayes (BIOL) and Daniel Perlman (PHYS) developed the original technology that currently forms the basis of Smart Balance in the early 1990s after realizing the "unhealthy" aspects of consuming trans fats, Hayes said.
Abrams said that the patent for this original technology was issued in 1996, and Brandeis now licenses the patented technology to Smart Balance. The University is still responsible for protecting the intellectual property of this technology, which means that it cannot reveal the particulars of the original technology. Brandeis does not license the technology to other companies, but Smart Balance can sublicense it to other companies, Abrams said.
Abrams said the research agreement is going to be paid over the course of 10 years. She said that starting next semester, the University will receive $65,000 that will be paid over the course of the next three years to support the bulk of the initial research. The rest of the money will be paid directly to the University over a longer period of time.
The new research aims to "improve the balance" of LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels in the body by exploring other factors that affect diet, such as diabetes, Hayes said. He explained that in contrast to the good cholesterol HDL, LDL is the "bad" lipoprotein, which is responsible for illnesses such as coronary heart disease.
Hayes explained that diabetes is related not only to the amount of food one eats but also to the type and amount of fat one consumes. He hopes that the research opportunity will enable Perlman and himself to find ways of improving blood sugar levels. Hayes and Perlman could not disclose the details of their research.
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