Screening system to identify SGLT1, GLUT5 inhibitors and activators | Food

Screening system to identify SGLT1, GLUT5 inhibitors and activators

Background
What we're looking for
What we can offer you
Who we are
Q&A

Have questions about this request?

Get them answered by the team at Unilever.

Background

Glucose and fructose are carbohydrates and important sources of energy for the body. Glucose enters intestinal cells via the sodium glucose cotransporter protein 1 (SGLT1), while glucose transporter 5 (GLUT5) facilitates the absorption of fructose.

Modulating the absorption and uptake of different carbohydrates via these transport mechanisms are becoming increasingly relevant in managing various aspects of human health. Compounds interfering with these pathways have been identified in dietary ingredients. Similarly, drugs acting as inhibitors or activators of these transporters have also been developed.

What we're looking for

We are seeking tools and screening capabilities to help understand the impact of different dietary ingredients on SGLT1 and GLUT5.

Solutions of interest include:

An in-vitro high throughput screening system / model to identify inhibitors and activators of SGLT1 and / or GLUT5

Our must-have requirements are:

Model must be capable of screening against at least one of SGLT1 or GLUT5
Model must be capable of screening Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) ingredients
The screening systems must be capable of assessing at least 20 compounds per run

Our nice-to-have's are:

System / model has demonstrated reproducibility
System / model has the flexibility to be adapted to other nutrient transporters
System / model has demonstrated agreement with the in-vivo effect of known pharmacological drugs
Partner would ideally be able to run and execute the model on behalf of Unilever for specified ingredients / compounds.
Human derived models preferred; bacteria and yeast platforms will also be considered

What's out of scope:

Animal or animal derived assays, models or systems.

Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):

Levels 2-9

What we can offer you

Eligible partnership models:

Sponsored researchCo-developmentSupply/purchaseLicensing

Benefits:

Sponsored Research

Funding is proposal dependent, but an accepted proposal could expect support in the range of 25,000 - 100,000 USD (milestone dependent) with the potential for follow on funding.

Expertise

Partners will interact with a project lead to mutually develop a project plan and engage in regular meetings to ensure success. Partners will have access to Unilever experts as appropriate.

Who we are

Our people are specialists: they are innovators, scientists, engineers, technologists, regulatory experts and data scientists in fields ranging from material chemistry to animal testing alternatives.

We’re very proud to say that over 50% of our senior roles are held by women and 70% of our innovations are enabled through our global network of innovation partners.

Every Unilever product is based on an innovation crafted by our experts in collaboration with our network of partners. We translate our scientific discoveries into everyday products that care for the planet and improve people’s health, confidence and wellbeing.

Learn more

Reviewers

Rob Devito

Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation

Former Employee

Senior Director, Innovation

Q&A with Unilever

The Q&A is now closed.

Sort by:

Our label free optical sensing platform allows low cost multiplexed disposable assays, recently applied to virus but could be proteins as well. (https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.2c02238). Is such tech of interest?

Affar Karimullah, Principal Investigator, Pinpoint Medical

September 6, 2023

Thanks for the question and interest. Solutions and technology that help us understand the impact of a library of ingredients will be of interest. With your technology, low cost and flexibility may be a suitable alternative to throughput in helping us screen our library. Lastly, we are open to solutions that are in the early stages of technical readiness including those that require additional testing or development, however, solutions that are closer to "ready" may be preferable all other things equal.

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

September 7, 2023

Is this response helpful?

We have a series of fluorescent probes for GLUT5 transport, and have ambitions to deploy them in HTS. Is this in alignment with your RFP?

Frederick West, Principal Investigator, Advanced Vascular Access Sysytems

October 25, 2023

Currently, GLUT uptake/interaction/inhibition of them, via small molecules. We have screening assays for glucose uptake and impact on cell bioenergetics; would this be of interest? doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112999

Neill Liptrott, Principal Investigator, University of Liverpool

September 18, 2023

Thanks for submitting your question and reference. Based on an initial read of your reference, the underlying model and approach to glucose uptake, if adapted to the right cell types, would be of interest to us. The bioenergetics endpoints are of less relevance to our application but don't seem essential to the operation of the model.

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

September 18, 2023

Is this response helpful?

Our AI screening software platform contains a virtual library of plant monomer molecular compounds. We can train dedicated AI screening models targeting SGLT1 or GLUT5 transporters. Would you be interested?

Ju Bin, CEO, sanomics.ai

October 7, 2023

Hi Ju Bin, Thank you for your question and apologies for the delayed response. Unfortunately, AI screening is not of interest as part of this call for proposals, but may change in the future. Regards, Rob

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

October 18, 2023

Is this response helpful?

Can you provide examples of Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) ingredients that the model should be able to screen for?

Erin Leboeuf, PhD Candidate, Louisiana State University

September 24, 2023

The ultimate end application of any technology will be in foods or dietary supplements. For these, we use a wide variety of ingredients that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), which include things like vitamins (e.g., Ascorbic Acid / Vitamin C), minerals (Zinc Bisglycinate / Zinc), botanicals extracts (Sambucus nigra / Elderberry), and excipients (gelatin). Across these categories there are a wide variety of chemical compounds, so ideally the platform is largely agnostic to what's screened vs a system that is designed exclusively to detect one type of compound.

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

September 25, 2023

Is this response helpful?

Over what time frame will the funding be provided, if a proposal is accepted?

Erin Leboeuf, PhD Candidate, Louisiana State University

September 24, 2023

If a proposal is accepted, we'd expect to develop a milestone based contract with the submitter that would provide funding as milestones (including project initiation) are completed. The timeframe depends on the ability to screen the current ingredient library with the potential to expand for ingredients outside the current scope.

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

September 25, 2023

Is this response helpful?

When you say that the "System / model has the flexibility to be adapted to other nutrient transporters" are there other nutrients or transporters that you are specifically interested in?

Erin Leboeuf, PhD Candidate, Louisiana State University

September 24, 2023

The current focus is on SGLT 1 and GLUT5. We are open to proposals that can only screen one of the transporters; though it would be a nice if a proposal that could only address one currently has the feasibility to be adapted to the other transporter.

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

September 25, 2023

Is this response helpful?

We used a cell-based microplate screening assay to identify novel (natural) SGLT1 inhibitors (https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/prp2.504). Could this be of interest?

Paul Oranje, CEO, Celnext Biotechnologies

October 24, 2023

Hello Paul, Thanks for reaching out. Assuming that system can measure both activators and inhibitors of SGLT1, the model and experience appear highly relevant. Thanks, Rob

Rob Devito, Associate Director, Nutritional Sciences and Innovation, Unilever

October 26, 2023

Is this response helpful?

View the details of this request and connect directly with corporate R&D teams at Fortune 500 companies.

Share partnering request

finalist selected

Refine recommendations

Is this request relevant to you?

Eligible partners

Academic researchersStartupsSuppliers

Seeking partners focused on

BiochemistryCarbohydrate BiochemistryCell Biology