Germany’s BASF has agreed a strategic partnership with Glycosyn, a Boston, Massachusetts-based US company specializing in the development of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). The agreement is aimed at commercializing HMOs for broad use in dietary supplements, functional nutrition and medical food.

Through its collaboration with Glycosyn, which is regarded as the HMO pioneer, the Ludwigshafen-based chemical giant will gain an exclusive license for the US partner’s patent portfolio for improving gastrointestinal health in adolescents and adults. Beyond this, the pact will facilitate the development of applications of HMO for other health conditions.

With the Glycosyn license, BASF will be able to extend its offering of the most abundant HMO, 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL) to a broader range of customers worldwide. At the same time, the Boston firm will leverage its scientific expertise and extensive collaboration with the HMO research community to expand the evidence for adult health.

 “Extending the reach of nature-designed HMO molecules from infant nutrition to dietary supplements, functional nutrition and medical food addresses unmet consumer health needs and unlocks a huge market potential,” said Tina Low, Vice President, business management Human Nutrition at BASF.

 “Partnering with Glycosyn, to establish synergies and advance the science on HMOs for human gut health and even beyond, creates significant value for us and profound benefits for consumers,” Low added. Sufferers from conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should profit, she said.

John Garrett, co-CEO of Glycosyn, said BASF’s scaled state-of-the-art production and extensive global customer access makes the German group the ideal partner to help his company tap into this huge market potential and take nutrition to the next level.

Under the name PREBILAC 2’-FL, BASF launched its first HMO, for the infant nutrition market, earlier this year. With complete in-house development from strain development to downstream processing in Germany, the chemical producer said it can manufactures the dietary supplement in the quality and volume levels necessary to supply global human nutrition markets.