Sunrise, FL —Viva 5 Corporation, a U.S.-based probiotic specialist, announced a licensing agreement with NUtech Ventures, the technology commercialization affiliate for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to be the exclusive worldwide distributor of an innovative new synbiotic, combining a proprietary human strain ofBifidobacterium adolescentis with a carefully selectedgalactooligosaccharide(GOS) prebiotic.

Prebiotics are nondigestible food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms (probiotics) in the intestines. A symbiotic is a probiotic-prebiotic combination that selectively supports growth of the probiotic in the host.

Viva 5 Corporation's newly licensed patent-pending synbiotic utilizes a human probiotic strain,Bifodobacterium adolescentisIVS-1, isolated via a novel prebiotic enrichment strategy, known as In Vivo Selection (IVS). The synbiotic, formulated by researchers at University of Nebraska - Lincoln, enriches for B. adolescentis IVS-1 and is backed by both preclinical and clinical research.

"Most, if not all, of the synbiotics on the market have not been rationally formulated based on ecological criteria. They have been combined based on cost, marketing or limited (or no) scientific studies showing evidence for synergistic or additive effects," says Albert Dahbour, EVP at Viva 5 Corporation. "In a true synbiotic, the prebiotic should have high affinity for the probiotic, it should selectively support growth of the probiotic in the human intestinal tract, and, ultimately, show a health benefit to the host. Thus, Viva 5 now has in our opinion the first real synbiotic and we are looking to further invest in additional research."

"We're excited to partner with Viva 5 for commercialization of the synbiotic product," said Brad Roth, executive director of NUtech Ventures. "Their experience in product development and distribution provides an opportunity for broad applicability of IVS-1."