Milk proteins play an important role in stabilising and transporting essential nutrients such as calcium and zinc. Exactly how this process works has not yet been thoroughly investigated. In the ChemistryNL-funded project Protein-based nanocarriers for nutrient delivery, scientists are exploring how to optimise this transport. They are also investigating whether the approach could be extended to other essential nutrients. The aim is to combat nutrient deficiencies in specific population groups. Fortified foods could potentially offer an alternative way to improve nutrient intake.
Nutrient deficiencies are a major cause of health problems for many people, particularly in low-income countries. Some medical conditions impair nutrient absorption, while poor diets and poverty can also prevent people from getting enough essential nutrients. Doctors often prescribe tablets or injections to address these deficiencies, but people sometimes have reservations about these treatments because of their medicinal nature. Milk proteins (casein) could offer a solution by enriching existing foods with additional nutrients. The initial focus is on milk, although the nanopeptides could potentially be added to other foods as well.
In milk, casein proteins assemble into a variety of structures that transport nutrients such as calcium, zinc and magnesium. The research initially focuses on the mechanisms by which the peptides form these structures and how the nutrients are subsequently released. The scientists will then investigate whether this process can be optimised and whether the structures can be adapted to transport other nutrients.
Lab tests and computer simulations complement each other
Ioana Ilie, an assistant professor of computational chemistry at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), leads the project, whose partners include FrieslandCampina and chemical analysis company InSpectT. Ilie works with her UvA colleague Alina Astefanei, who studies nanopeptides using complementary techniques. Two postdoctoral researchers have been appointed to the project: one specialising in chemical analysis and the other in computational modelling. “It is a truly interdisciplinary project, combining analytical and modelling approaches and involving two companies.”
The project is still at an early stage of fundamental research. A key challenge is the complexity of the system. “It is difficult to measure where and how minerals are encapsulated within protein assemblies and how they interact,” says Astefanei. With computer simulations, there is a risk that model predictions will not match experimental observations. The researchers aim to address this by incorporating experimental data into machine learning models to refine both the models and their predictions. “By the end of the project, we expect to reach technology readiness level (TRL) 1 or 2, so essentially we will have gained a better understanding of the mechanisms,” Ilie explains. “Once we know how this works, we can move on to commercialisation and patent applications. That will require additional project funding, which we are currently working to secure.”
The consortium partners intend to publish their findings and methods in open-access scientific articles. They then plan to apply for patents covering specific applications in product formulations.
Clinical use is still several years away
The researchers have now developed a computer model that partly explains how nanopeptides assemble into larger structures. Building on existing experimental research into protein particles known as micelles, they have isolated proteins and are now studying the structures these proteins form. Ilie expects clinical use to remain at least several years away. Product development will need to be followed by toxicological testing, clinical trials and regulatory approval. “I do not expect the approval process to take as long as it does for a new medicine, but it will still take a considerable amount of time.”
Meanwhile, the researchers want to explore whether the techniques they develop could be applied more broadly, beyond cow’s milk. Ilie points to other drinks and plant-based products. “Not everyone drinks milk, so it makes sense to investigate whether other foods could also be fortified with nutrients in this way.” She refers to other research in which oat peptides have already been used to bind iron. These have already been used in clinical trials involving women with anaemia.
