Discover the potential of Euglena in increasing people’s healthy lifespan.
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"I think we should do human clinical trials."

Ayaka Nakajima proposed that at the Euglena Material Branding Project, which began in 2017.

Many of my colleagues (employees) who take Euglena every day, including Nakajima, were aware of the "comprehensive power of Euglena" that contributes to human health. However, at the same time, I also realized that it was difficult to convey the "comprehensive power of Euglena" to customers. Would you like to clarify more specific merits and values and convey that it will lead to the extension of healthy life expectancy, which is beginning to attract attention in the world?

Nakajima, who participated in the material branding project as a person responsible for Euglena

Material branding project

Many of our customers said that they had better bowel movements and that they had difficulty catching colds, but there were also some that were related to overall improvement, such as "I feel Euglena many. There are not many researchers who pay attention to these voices, but Nakajima thought, "I think we can scientifically clarify the" experience value "of our customers."

Euglena has been conducting small-scale clinical trials and animal studies, but has not been able to conduct human clinical trials that require the cooperation of many people.

What was behind the realization of such human clinical trials?

Euglena Co., Ltd. as a new graduate in 2012, has been in the research section for a long time. He has been interested in the healthcare field since he was a teenager and studied biotechnology at university.

At the root of my interest is my original experience. Nakajima, who had been slow to eat since he was a child, had no choice but to eat less in a group life, and he said that he had to pay attention to the surroundings and arrange less meals at school. "I may not be well-nourished ..."-Because of such anxiety, I became familiar with supplements and other information as a child.

The reason I got to know Euglena was a TV shopping program that I always watched to get information on health materials. I learned that there is a supplement using Euglena, and that Euglena has a lot of unknown possibilities.

"What an interesting child Euglena
"I want to unravel that possibility."

It was the moment when I started my career as a researcher.

The duration of the human clinical trial designed by Nakajima is 6 months. With a plan to attract more than 60 subjects from outside, he continued to devise ways to maximize the effect with the minimum budget.

Kengo Suzuki (currently in charge of Executive Officer R&D), his immediate supervisor and head of the R&D department, as well as Akihiko Nagata (current Executive Vice President) and Fukumoto, who are in charge of material branding projects. I have to talk to Takuyuki (currently in charge of Executive Officer sales) and Mitsuru Izumo, the president.

Nakajima held many meetings with the executives in order to realize a project that required research funds with many collaborators. What was asked there was "preparation as a researcher."

"Is this research most needed right now?"

The question wasn't just about cost and marketing outcomes. The final question asked by Nakajima was Euglena 's determination to "what should be transmitted."

"Not all studies give good results. Still, I wasn't hesitant to say YES."

Conducting clinical trials does not necessarily mean that there are unprecedented discoveries. However, I wanted to conduct a clinical trial as a spokesperson for Euglena

Nakajima looks back on that.

In the clinical trial, the study was carried out with the cooperation of a total of 62 women aged 50 to 70 years. Euglena intake on the human body, including brain, muscles, bones, metabolic function, intestinal environment, and quality of life (QOL).

Subjects were divided into a group that received Euglena and a placebo group that did not receive Euglena, and were asked to continue taking supplements for 6 months. Clinical trials continue "without knowing who is drinking what" so that the researcher's arbitrary elements are not added. During the long intake period, the progress is unknown until the final result is obtained and analyzed, so I had no choice but to believe in the hypothesis I made first and above all the power of Euglena, and Nakajima was watching with a tingling sensation. That is.

Clinical trials have revealed several new discoveries that support healthy life expectancy.

Specifically, the increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is an essential protein for increasing the number of nerve cells in the brain, the improvement in the speed at which the body moves (cognitive function speed / motor speed) in response to commands from the brain, and the mind. We were able to confirm the improvement of the health score of. These results were announced at the 73rd Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science held in May 2019.

Nakajima presenting research contents in Singapore

"As a researcher, I want to hear more and more customer feedback."

Having gained new conviction from human clinical trials, Nakajima continues to take on new challenges beyond the boundaries of researchers. Euglena Festival" held by inviting customers is one of them.

Opinions from various customers at the Euglena

At the first Euglena Festival, in order to convey our gratitude to our customers on a daily basis and to let them Euglena, we will give a lecture by President Izumo, talk with management, and exhibit / experience-based business. We plan to introduce and provide meal menus that utilize Euglena The results obtained in clinical trials were also introduced.

"Being backed up gives more people peace of mind. I'm glad I was able to share the results of the clinical trials here."

Nakajima says that he is thinking of increasing contact points with customers beyond the position of a researcher.

Euglena, who is far more senior than human beings as a living thing on the earth, to a place that attracts attention, so we have a responsibility to continue to convey its goodness."

Euglena has existed for 500 million years and is said to have been visually confirmed since the microscope was created in the 17th century. However, Euglena still has unknown possibilities. Euglena 's research and evangelist approach promoted by Nakajima may not only extend healthy life expectancy for humans, but also change the way research is done.

Posted in December 2019