Posts Tagged arnox
Anti-Age Product Could Lift Nu Skin; Dividend Rising
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
A new product, if successful, can accelerate sales and earnings growth.
Utah-based Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS) plans to roll out an anti-aging product in January that, if not a fountain of youth, might be at least a sprinkler of youth.
Professors at Purdue University and the Stanford School of Medicine, along with Nu Skin researchers, discovered an enzyme that affects a person’s appearance.
According to a study conducted at Stanford, people with high levels of arNox, the enzyme, look about seven years older than those with low levels of it.
Nu Skin’s new product ageLoc contains an ingredient that the company says can inhibit the enzyme.
If it works, the next question is how much it can boost the bottom line of this direct seller of personal care and nutrition supplements.
Nu Skin sees great potential in the new product.
“This is a platform change for us,” Chief Executive Truman Hunt told IBD on Wednesday. “The market is not yet focused on where we are.”
Most anti-aging products focus on masking symptoms. Hunt said ageLoc is addressing the source.
Apart from the new product, Nu Skin has some features attractive to income investors.
It has paid dividends since 2001 and increased the payout seven straight years.
The Appearance Of Aging And Arnox
Scientists from Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. presented the results of a breakthrough study at the 25th International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists Congress (IFSCC) in Barcelona revealing a correlation between levels of a newly identified age-related enzyme, arNOX, and a person’s appearance. The study, conducted at Stanford University, demonstrated that women with higher activity levels of arNOX appeared an average of seven years older than their chronological age, while women with decreased activity levels of the enzyme appeared to be seven years younger than their actual age, on average. “Demonstrating arNOX as a source of certain visible signs of aging validates our strategic focus of attacking the sources of aging,” said Joe Chang, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Nu Skin. “Merely repairing damage to the skin from environmental and mechanical stresses is no longer sufficient for savvy consumers.” “The ground-breaking conclusions in this research, combined with trends of an aging demographic, lead us to believe that there is sizable market potential for a product that inhibits arNOX activity, and thus slows the appearance of certain signs of aging,” said Ashok Pahwa, chief marketing officer at Nu Skin. “Additionally, the lines between personal care and nutrition are blurring,” continued Pahwa. “Savvy consumers are increasingly aware of the link between nutrition and beauty, and industry analysts report that products to postpone aging will perhaps witness the strongest demand in upcoming years.” Nu Skin currently holds patents and exclusive patent rights to arNOX inhibitors and plans to commercialize the scientific advances under its new product platform branded as ageLOC. The first topical ageLOC application will be launched later this month. Because the arNOX enzyme is present throughout the body, not just in the epidermis, the company is also conducting additional studies to better understand the broader applications of ageLOC technology in nutritional supplementation.
The AgeLoc breakthrougharNOX Information from Stanford Clinical Bulletin
Although the skin care industry has made some significant progress toward the correction and prevention of the visible signs of aging, there are still many unknown factors regarding why we age—and why we all seem to age differently.
The effects of the sun and the environment are fairly well understood and highly effective sunscreens exist to help us avoid the aggressive aging effects of ongoing exposure. Less understood are the biological or intrinsic processes that affect our appearance over time.
Recently, scientists at Purdue University in collaboration with Nu Skin Research and Development, have discovered a new and potentially significant internal source of aging—an enzyme called arNOX. Present on the surface of our cells, this enzyme is capable of generating skin damaging free radicals in the epidermis around the clock.
Mostly inactive in our youth, activity levels of arNOX increase as we age and vary by individual.
Anti Aging Breakthrough Identified By Nu Skin
New research funded by Nu Skin Enterprises on internal causes of aging has identified a previously unknown source of superoxide free radicals. Free radicals from external triggers, such as sun exposure and cigarette smoke, have long been known to damage skin cells and components of the skin’s extracellular matrix, including collagen and elastin.
Scientists from Nu Skin Enterprises and Purdue University report their novel research findings on age-related NADH oxidase (arNOX) this week in Kyoto, Japan, at International Investigative Dermatology 2008 (IID2008), a major scientific venue for the latest information on skin biology.
The scientists present compelling evidence that arNOX, an enzyme associated with cell membranes, is present and active on skin cells. Significantly, arNOX activity increases during the “aging” years of about 45-70. “Identifying skin-associated arNOX and its increasing activity with age is a breakthrough discovery in understanding skin aging,” said Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, primary investigator with Dermatology Consulting Services, member of the Nu Skin Scientific Advisory Board and one of the study authors. “Currently, most dermatological research focuses on correcting skin damage after it occurs.
Identifying an internal source of free radicals in skin, and advancing an understanding of how and why they are generated, adds to our ability to address fundamental mechanisms that may combine with external sources to lead to accelerated skin aging.” “Evidence of arNOX in the skin provides further insights into potentially revolutionary therapies for skin care, particularly because its activity correlates with the ages when people begin to see their skin lose its elasticity and firmness, and notice more discoloration and lines and wrinkles,” remarked Helen Knaggs, PhD, vice president of Nu Skin global research and development. “If we can develop innovative ways to inhibit arNOX activity and prevent the production of free radicals in the first place, then we can address both sides of the equation — correcting free radical damage from external sources, while at the same time preventing free radical production from internal sources.”
This remarkable discovery will lead the way for a revolutionary new skin care line called AgeLoc.
Further References: National Institutes Of Health
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