Boston, MA/Ludwigshafen, Germany—BASF and Glycosyn have signed a partnership agreement for the development and commercialization of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) for use in dietary supplements, functional nutrition, and medical food,according to a press release.The partnership includes exclusive license of Glycosyn’s patent portfolio for gut health to BASF.

BASF will extend its offering of the most abundant HMO, 2’-Fucosyllactose (2’-FL) branded PREBILAC to customers worldwide. Glycosyn will use its scientific expertise and collaboration with HMO research community to expand the evidence for adult health.

Emerging scientific evidence, the release notes, shows that 2’-FL supports the development and maintenance of a healthy gut microbiome and immune system, thanks to its prebiotic functions.

Tina Low, VP of business management human nutrition at BASF, said in the release: “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. Partnering with Glycosyn, the pioneer in the field of HMOs, to establish synergies and advance science on HMOs for human gut health and even beyond, creates significant value for us and profound benefits for consumers.”

John Garrett, co-CEO at Glycosyn, added: “The time has come to bring the benefits of HMO to consumers worldwide who suffer from gut discomfort or even diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. BASF’s scaled state-of-the-art production and extensive global customer access makes them the ideal partner for us to jointly tap into this huge market potential and take nutrition to the next level.”