Alta Semper Capital LLP commits US$18 million to Health Plus Limited, West Africa’s leading retail pharmacy chain

LONDON & LAGOS, Nigeria & NEW YORK-Tuesday, March 27th 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Alta Semper partners with Nigeria’s leading retail pharmacy chain, HealthPlus:

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180326006131/en/

    Founded in 1999 by Mrs. Bukky George, Health Plus Limited (“HealthPlus” or the “Company”) is made up of approximately 80 retail outlets, making it one of the largest specialty retailers in West Africa.
    The investment from Alta Semper Capital LLP (“Alta Semper”) will enable HealthPlus to continue to expand its store footprint, allow the Company to continue to invest in market-leading human talent, develop regional distribution centres in commercial hubs across Nigeria as well as selectively explore private label and e-commerce initiatives.
    Mrs. Bukky George will remain as CEO of HealthPlus to steward the business through its next phase of growth and development.

Alta Semper Capital LLP

Alta Semper, a private equity manager investing flexible and strategic capital across select African growth markets, announced today a partnership with Nigeria’s leading retail pharmacy chain HealthPlus. Under the terms of the agreement, Alta Semper is investing US$18 million into HealthPlus, which will enable the company to expand its retail footprint and enhance its competitive position. Alta Semper specifically invests into market-leading businesses in defensive sub-sectors within the consumer and healthcare verticals.

The healthcare and retail markets in Nigeria are characterised by growing demand, driven by favourable demographics, increased consumer awareness and evolving consumption patterns. Furthermore, Nigeria is home to one of the least penetrated formal retail markets in the world, despite its large and growing population. The retail pharmacy sector is highly fragmented, with many independent drug stores and several patent medicine outlets. Furthermore, given structural challenges with the industry supply chain, counterfeit pharmaceuticals find their way into over forty percent of the retail market, while most wholesale and retail sales across the country are still made through informal markets. Moreover, much of the healthcare infrastructure is confined to major cities, with people living in urban areas having approximately four times as much access to healthcare as those living in rural areas.

The investment into HealthPlus will enable the Company to capture the pent-up demand for high-quality yet affordable healthcare and professional beauty supplies by developing regional distribution centres in commercial hubs across Nigeria, rapidly expanding the Company’s footprint across Nigeria as well as developing a wholesale channel and investing in private label and e-commerce.

This transaction marks Alta Semper’s first investment in Nigeria.

Health Plus Limited

HealthPlus was founded in 1999 by Mrs. Olubukunola Adewunmi (Bukky) George, FPSN, a Nigeria and UK-trained pharmacist with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, who has organically grown the business into the leading pharmacy chain and retailer of beauty supplies in West Africa.

The Company’s quest is to provide the Nigerian consumer with high-quality, life-saving and affordable products and services. Furthermore, the Company aims to make a meaningful and lasting impact by contributing its quota to the achievement of universal healthcare coverage and to increasing life expectancy for all Nigerians.

The Company targets a broad base of consumers through the provision of healthcare products such as prescription and over-the-counter medicines, nutritional supplements, natural remedies, home medical equipment, mobility aids and pharmacy services. The Company employs over 700 people which includes 150 pharmacists, with at least two pharmacists dispensing prescription medicines and providing counselling, free health screenings and value-adding pharmacy services at each pharmacy. It operates branches in strategically-located residential areas, shopping centres and airports across 11 of the 36 states in Nigeria. HealthPlus has one of the highest brand recognition and ratings of any consumer company in Nigeria.

The Company’s dedication and professionalism has been recognised with several excellence awards including the ICERTIAS Best Buy Award for #1 Pharmacy in Best Price-Quality Ratio 2017, the Nigerian Customer Service Award for Best in the Pharmaceutical Category 2017 and the Nigeria Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA) 2016, 2015, 2014.

Commenting on the investment, Bukky George, Founder & CEO of HealthPlus said,
“We believe Alta Semper is the right partner for our next stage of growth. Alta Semper’s focus on the healthcare sector, as well as its ability to invest patient and flexible capital, will allow us to grow strategically across Nigeria and further our mission to provide high quality and affordable healthcare products and services to a market that is large and growing. Our vision is to be Africa’s #1 for pharmacy, wellness and beauty. We believe we have found a partner who can help us achieve this goal over the coming years.”

Commenting on the investment, Afsane Jetha, Managing Partner & CEO of Alta Semper said,
“We are very excited about our partnership with HealthPlus, a remarkable example of a homegrown company that has become one of the largest specialty retailers in West Africa. We believe HealthPlus is well-positioned to take advantage of the grossly under-penetrated Nigerian pharmacy retail market and meet the growing demands of Nigerian consumers, as well as to expand regionally into neighbouring countries. We believe that this is an opportune time to enter the Nigerian retail market and invest into a market-leading player such as HealthPlus, which presents a unique risk-adjusted entry strategy, given its existing size and geographic scope. We are looking forward to working closely with Bukky George and her team to further unlock the Company’s growth potential.”

Alta Semper’s legal advisors were Olaniwun Ajayi LP and international law firm Hogan Lovells International LLP.

HealthPlus’ financial advisor was CardinalStone Partners and legal advisory was provided by Banwo & Ighodalo.

NOTE TO THE EDITOR:

Alta Semper Capital LLP: Alta Semper Capital LLP is an FCA authorised and regulated investment manager based in London. Alta Semper was founded in 2015 by Afsane Jetha (former Managing Director of the Africa Private Equity platform at the Duet Group), Ronald Lauder (Former US Ambassador to Austria and current Chairman of Clinique Laboratories) and Richard Parsons (former CEO of Time Warner Group and current Chairman of the Board of the Rockefeller Foundation). The investment in HealthPlus marks the firm’s second investment into the healthcare sector in Africa, after its investment into Macro Pharmaceuticals in Egypt in 2017.
www.altasemper.com

Health Plus Limited: Health Plus Limited is Nigeria’s leading retail pharmacy and beauty chain, with approximately 80 locations across Nigeria. HealthPlus aims to provide high quality and accessible healthcare to its customers, and has been the recipient of many awards for quality and service.
www.healthplus.com.ng

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180326006131/en/

Contacts

For press inquiries:
WT Blase & Associates, LLC
Bill Blase, +1-212-221-1079
billblase@wtblase.com
or
Cathy Loos, +1-212-221-1079
cathyloos@wtblase.com
or
For additional information:
info@altasemper.com
+44-207-100-0670


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AerLine Holdings to Sell XTRA Airways

CORAL GABLES, Fla.-Tuesday, March 27th 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- AerLine Holdings has entered into negotiations to sell its wholly-owned subsidiary XTRA Airways.

XTRA Airways has operated Boeing 737 aircraft in its charter fleet flying sports teams, rock bands, relief flights from Caribbean Islands including Puerto Rico, scheduled service between Saipan in the U.S. Mariana Islands and China, sub-service for tour operators within Europe, deportees for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and most recently supplying two highly customized executive 737 aircraft for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

XTRA Airways has an impeccable safety record, is one of the few charter carriers having scheduled service (U.S.-flag) authority, is certified to fly within Europe, and is authorized by the U.S. and China to conduct scheduled service between the two countries.

Following the decision to divest of its interest in XTRA Airways, seven of its eight 737 aircraft have been sold, and its fleet will be reduced to just one 737 aircraft before the end of May 2018. “We have put the company in the best position to permit a new owner to add whatever aircraft fleet type that best suits its operational needs, without the burden of expensive leases or old technology equipment. XTRA Airways is the perfect vehicle to launch a new airline venture with a clean balance sheet,” stated the airline CEO Frank Visconti.

AerLine Holdings will select a buyer that can offer the best value to the company, its employees and shareholders, and is anticipated to make an award before the end of April 2018.

About XTRA Airways

XTRA Airways is a 31-year-old commercial charter U.S. airline that specializes in group air travel throughout the Americas. The company operates a modern fleet of Boeing 737-400 and 737-800 aircraft, and is certified under the FAA Part 121 Flag regulations designated for all major U.S. airlines. Customers include corporate incentive groups, sports teams, entertainers, civic leaders, students, and other groups. XTRA Airways is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.

For more information, visit our website at www.xtraairways.com or contact Lyndelle Nieuwkerk by calling (305) 764-3200 or via e-mail at lyndelle.nieuwkerk@xtraairways.com.

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Contacts

XTRA Airways
Lyndelle Nieuwkerk, 305-764-3200
Email: lyndelle.nieuwkerk@xtraairways.com


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UNCTAD and Alibaba Business School Kick Off eFounders Initiative for Asian Entrepreneurs

 Second cohort of 37 participants follows inaugural program for African entrepreneurs in 2017



GENEVA & HANGZHOU, China-Tuesday, March 27th 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Alibaba Business School today enrolled the first class of 37 Asian entrepreneurs for the eFounders Initiative at an opening ceremony held on the Alibaba campus in Hangzhou, China.

The 11-day course is part of a commitment by Jack Ma, Alibaba Group’s founder and Executive Chairman and UNCTAD Special Adviser, to empower 1,000 entrepreneurs from developing countries in five years.

The launch of the first program for Asian entrepreneurs comes after the success of the inaugural class for 24 African participants last November.

Following a rigorous selection process, the final candidates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam will embark on an 11-day intensive course providing first-hand exposure to e-commerce innovations from China and around the world and become eFounders Fellows.

Eventually these young entrepreneurs will become catalysts in their home country that will spur the digital transformation of their economies.

Smart partnerships

“We want to reach out to youth and include them in the work we do for inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” Arlette Verploegh, Coordinator for the eFounders Initiative at UNCTAD, said. “The initiative is about bridging the digital divide for young entrepreneurs and unlock their potential. It is part of a set of smart partnerships UNCTAD is creating to reach the sustainable development goals.”

All participants are founders of their respective start-up companies, ranging from e-commerce, big data, logistics, fintech, payment and tourism.

“We are excited to extend this fellowship to entrepreneurs from Asia for the very first time as part of our commitment to empower digital champions and communities around the world,” said Brian A. Wong, Vice President of Alibaba Group, who heads the Global Initiatives program.

“Our goal is to inspire entrepreneurs to serve as pioneers for building a more inclusive development model that is not just good for their business, but also good for society by creating platforms that all can participate in and benefit from.”

Under the auspices of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the initiative is aligned with the wider call to action to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital economy, and to help bridge the digital divide faced by businesses in emerging markets.

Jointly organized by UNCTAD and Alibaba Business School, the eFounders Initiative also supports Alibaba’s mission to help small businesses succeed in their home markets and beyond. It was first announced in 2017 by Jack Ma in his capacity as the UNCTAD Special Adviser for Young Entrepreneurs and Small Business when he, together with Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, visited Africa.

E-commerce ecosystems

The participants of the eFounders Initiative will learn first-hand the transformative impact e-commerce and technology have on society in China and participate in lectures and discussions with local practitioners and executives to identify the lessons that can be applied to their own markets. Topics covered will include e-commerce, payment, logistics, big data and tourism from Alibaba Group and other successful companies in the e-commerce value chain, with sessions touching on digital finance, smart logistics and rural e-commerce development, among others.

Upon graduation, participants will officially become Fellows of the eFounders Initiative and make formal commitments on how they will apply the learning from this program. As part of the wider eFounders Initiative community of promising young entrepreneurs around the world, UNCTAD and Alibaba Group will also continue to advise on and provide support for the creation of e-commerce ecosystems jointly with other stakeholders.

The first class of eFounders Fellows – 24 entrepreneurs from Africa – completed the program in November 2017 after a similar two week intensive workshop in Hangzhou.

To continue the impact of the initiative, UNCTAD and Alibaba have already completed a full round of follow up meetings with the fellows, each of whom are actively applying what they have learned to their own enterprises, as well as sharing insights with their home communities. Fellows are working toward achieving their commitments and will continue to check in with UNCTAD and Alibaba every three months.

For more information on the eFounders Initiative, please visit https://agi.alibaba.com/efounders-fellowship and http://unctad.org/en/pages/newsdetails.aspx?OriginalVersionID=1615

About UNCTAD

The eFounders Initiative is part of a set of smart partnerships UNCTAD is creating to reach the Sustainable Development Goals.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180326005363/en/

Contacts

UNCTAD Communications and Information Unit
+41 22 917 5828 / +41 79 502 43 11
unctadpress@unctad.org
or
Alibaba Group
Katie Lee, +852 9728 0979
k.lee@alibaba-inc.com


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IDEMIA Will Present Its 2017 Annual Financial Results to Investors, on March 27, 2018

COLOMBES, France-Monday, March 26th 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- IDEMIA, the world leader in Augmented Identity, will present its 2017 annual financial results to investors, on Tuesday March 27, 2018.

Didier Lamouche (CEO) and Frédéric Beylier (COO) will be presenting these financial results and taking questions the same day at 1pm CET (12pm London Time / 7am New York Time).

Conference call dial-in details:

Conference number:
France: +331 72 72 74 03 PIN: 18691033#
United Kingdom: +442071943759 PIN: 18691033#
United States: 8442860643 PIN: 18691033#

Webcast access link:
http://event.onlineseminarsolutions.com/r.htm?e=1638875&s=1&k=CD11FF885F7EA87280B32C51EA78CAEF

For more information, please refer to our website: http://investors.oberthur.com

About IDEMIA

OT-Morpho is now IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, with the ambition to empower citizens and consumers alike to interact, pay, connect, travel and vote in ways that are now possible in a connected environment.
Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect this asset, whether for individuals or for objects. We ensure privacy and trust as well as guarantee secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors.
OT (Oberthur Technologies) and Safran Identity & Security (Morpho) have joined forces to form IDEMIA. With close to $3 billion in revenues and 14,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

    For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter

Contacts

Press contact:
Havas
Hanna Sebbah
idemia@havas.com



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NTT DATA Selects Gestoos as Open Innovation Contest Champion

Will collaborate in three-month project to develop concrete business plan

TOKYO-Tuesday, March 27th 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- NTT DATA, a global IT services provider, announced today that it has selected Barcelona-based startup Gestoos as the Champion of the Open Innovation Contest 7.0 based on its AI solution that enables content and services to be operated simply with hand gestures. The winning proposal was chosen during the contest’s Grand Finale at NTT DATA headquarters in Toyosu, Tokyo on March 22. NTT DATA will collaborate with Gestoos to develop a concrete business plan based on the winning proposal.
The global competition, which is organized annually by NTT DATA, invites high-tech companies worldwide to submit proposals for IT services that offer potential to create new value in global society. The judging panel includes both NTT DATA personnel and outside experts.
The Gestoos AI solution recognizes and interprets subtle physical movements to enable people to operate content and services with just hand gestures. Gestoos’ patented proprietary algorithm uses live data to learn about interactions involving people, objects, spaces and vehicles. The entry was selected as the best idea for a previously unimagined IT service with high value-creation potential for public bodies, private companies and individuals, all customers of NTT DATA.
NTT DATA received 269 applications from around the world starting last December. Between December 6, 2017 and March 2, 2018, regional contests were held across four continents in 15 cities of 14 countries, up from 10 cities of 9 countries last year.
Each of the 15 regional contests selected a winner to present a proposal during the Grand Finale in Tokyo. The proposals covered fields such as fintech, medtech, insurtech, security, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, authentication, AI-supported optical character recognition and navigation.
In addition to the winning prize, an Audience Award was presented to ftcash (Mumbai) and Judges Awards were presented to FOMO Pay (Singapore) and SightCall (San Francisco) by NTT DATA representatives on the judging panel.
German Leon, founder of Gestoos, said: “We are very excited to win this contest because collaboration with NTT DATA will be a huge step for our business. Our AI solution not only sees hands and objects, it sees people in action and understands space and context. It uses live data to learn how to make interactions more human. Ultimately, Gestoos redefines interactions for machines, people and spaces. In collaboration with NTT DATA, we hope to create new and exciting experiences for consumers and industries.”
Kotaro Zamma, Head of NTT DATA’s Open Innovation and Business Incubation, said: “This year’s contest received very strong local support from NTT DATA’s group companies and partners overseas. By promoting open innovation, the hope is that our contest will continue to stimulate new business creation around the world. Going forward, we would like to be a catalyst for open innovation that leads to meaningful changes in global society.”
NTT DATA’s open innovation initiatives have led to the creation of numerous new businesses already. Together with Social Coin, last year’s winner, NTT DATA recently established the “Regional Issue Discovery Lab” to apply AI technology toward innovative solutions that address regional issues.
Each regional contest this year was organized in collaboration with NTT DATA group companies and regional partners: NTT DATA UK and Innovate Finance (UK), everis (Spain, Brazil, Portugal and Chile), MaRS Discovery District (Canada), Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), NTT DATA Inc. and Runway (U.S.), Deloitte Israel (Israel), Startupbootcamp and Rainmaking Innovation (Singapore, Australia and India) and Asian Payment Network (Singapore).
NTT DATA will hold the Open Innovation Contest in worldwide venues again next year. NTT DATA is confident that the contests are winning propositions for the participating startup companies as well as NTT DATA, client companies of NTT DATA, and global society.
For more about the contestants: http://oi.nttdata.com/en/contest/result.
About NTT DATA
NTT DATA is a leading IT services provider and global innovation partner headquartered in Tokyo, with business operations in over 50 countries. Its emphasis is on long-term commitments, combining global reach with local intimacy to provide premier professional services varying from consulting and systems development to outsourcing. For more information, visit www.nttdata.com
All products, corporations and organization names are registered trademarks or corporate trademarks.
List of Contestants
The following contestants presented at the Grand finale. An asterisk (*) indicates inaugural participation in the contest.

Location		Company
Barcelona		Gestoos
Guiyang		Institute of Software CAS
Lisbon*		loqr
London		Callsign
Madrid		Electronic IDentification
Melbourne*		Emvisage
Milan*		GiPS tech
Mumbai*		ftcash
San Francisco		SightCall
Santiago*		Coeus
Sao Paulo		DATAHOLICS
Singapore		FOMO Pay
Tel Aviv		PayBox
Tokyo		Cinnamon
Toronto		Zoom.ai

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180326005313/en/

---

Contacts
Media inquiries
Weber Shandwick (for NTT DATA Corporation)
(Ms.) Ayumi Matsubara, +81-90-9006-5841
nttdata@webershandwick.com

Workiva Leads Global Adoption of Inline XBRL

Wdesk Used to File More Than 84% of All Inline XBRL facts with the SEC in Q4 2017;
Wdesk Among First to Incorporate ESEF Taxonomy for European Filers


AMES, Iowa & LONDON-Thursday, March 22nd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Workiva (NYSE:WK), a leading provider of solutions for enterprise productivity, today announced Wdesk users filed more than 84 percent of all Inline XBRL facts with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the fourth quarter of 2017. Wdesk has also been used to file more than 69 percent of all Inline XBRL filings.

Inline XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language), also known as iXBRL, creates a single, standardized, machine-readable report that is integrated within companies’ human-readable HTML filings. Inline XBRL combines the advantages of both filing types into a single, browser-friendly document.

“XBRL was arguably the biggest thing to come along to enable machine readable financial data, and Inline XBRL is how we advance toward the common goal of providing better data,” said Marty Vanderploeg, President and Chief Operating Officer of Workiva. “Workiva is committed to improving data quality, increasing efficiencies and easing regulatory burdens for our customers.”

Wdesk was used to create the first Inline XBRL filing less than three weeks after the SEC began allowing the voluntary format in the U.S. in June 2016. Nine months later, in March 2017, the SEC voted to propose amendments to require Inline XBRL in filings submitted by public companies and mutual funds that currently file with XBRL. If approved, the amendment could require corporate financial statements and mutual fund risk/return summaries to be filed in Inline XBRL sometime in 2018.

“The SEC’s proposal shows the Commission’s long-term commitment to structured data by using Inline XBRL to improve data quality and accessibility,” said Vanderploeg. “With Wdesk, our customers have built-in transparency and the tools they need to meet the impending regulatory changes.”

European Securities and Markets Authority Selects Workiva to Incorporate ESEF Taxonomy

Workiva’s strong leadership in Inline XBRL in the U.S. was one reason why the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) selected the Wdesk platform to be among the first solutions to successfully incorporate and test ESMA’s European Single Electronic Format (ESEF) taxonomy. Inline XBRL will be required under ESEF for more than 5,000 EU issuers for their annual financial report, ending on or after January 1, 2020.

“It made sense for Workiva to be among the first to demonstrate Inline XBRL to streamline ESEF requirements,” said Vanderploeg. “Workiva has been on the forefront of helping Foreign Private Issuers use XBRL tags in their SEC filings, and we are among the first companies to be certified by XBRL International.”

“Regardless of pending regulations, filers need future-proof technology to manage risk, establish disclosure procedures and focus on data quality,” added Vanderploeg. “Our Wdesk customers are able to collaborate in a secure, integrated environment with full transparency, which helps drive better business and investment decisions.”

About Workiva

Workiva (NYSE:WK) delivers Wdesk, an intuitive cloud platform that modernizes how people work within thousands of organizations, including over 70 percent of the FORTUNE 500®. Wdesk is built upon a data management engine, offering controlled collaboration, data connections, granular permissions and a full audit trail. Wdesk helps mitigate risk, improves productivity and gives users confidence in their data-driven decisions. Workiva employs more than 1,200 people with offices in 16 cities. The company is headquartered in Ames, Iowa. For more information, visit workiva.com.

Read the Workiva blog: www.workiva.com/blog
Follow Workiva on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/workiva
Like Workiva on Facebook: www.facebook.com/workiva
Follow Workiva on Twitter: www.twitter.com/workiva

Claim not confirmed by FORTUNE or Time Inc. FORTUNE 500® is a registered trademark of Time Inc. and is used under license. FORTUNE and Time Inc. are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Workiva Inc.

Contacts

Workiva Inc.
Kevin McCarthy, 515-663-4471
press@workiva.com


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Morinaga Milk's New Probiotic Strain, Bifidobacterium breve A1, May Prevent Onset of Alzheimer's Disease

TOKYO-Thursday, March 22nd 2018 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:2264), a leading Japanese dairy product company, today announced the results of a new study investigating the preventive effects of its new probiotic strain Bifidobacterium breve A1 on a model of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that B. breve A1 improved spatial recognition capability, as well as learning and memory capabilities, in cognitively deficient mice, indicating it could play an important role in preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease in humans.1

The number of patients affected by dementia is increasing worldwide. One report estimates there were 46.8 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2015 and projects this number will reach 131.5 million by 2050.2 Alzheimer’s disease accounts for a large proportion of dementia cases. Like many chronic diseases, Alzheimer’s develops slowly for several decades before the onset of symptoms, even though deterioration in the brain begins in the early stages. Once the disease has developed, it is difficult to reverse it or even halt its progression; therefore, finding effective countermeasures to prevent the disease’s onset is a top priority for researchers.

The “gut‒brain axis,” which is the functional linkage between the brain and gut microbiota, has attracted attention worldwide. Because probiotics are known to have beneficial effects on gut microbiota, they are a promising treatment for brain health. Indeed, both bifidobacteria and lactobacillus have shown beneficial effects on anxiety and depression.

Building on this research, Morinaga Milk investigated the ability of probiotics to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in collaboration with Professor Keiko Abe from The University of Tokyo and Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, revealed the potential of B. breve A1 to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Study Method

Mice were injected with amyloid β — the substance presumed to cause Alzheimer’s disease — in order to induce cognitive dysfunction in a model of Alzheimer’s disease. Mice in the active treatment group were administered B. breve A1 (1 × 109 per day) orally for 10 days (B. breve A1 group). Mice in the control group were given either saline (saline group) or a cholinesterase inhibitor, a medication prescribed for dementia (positive control group). Cognitive function was evaluated by a Y maze test and a passive avoidance test.

Y maze Behavioral Test Confirms Improvement of Spatial Recognition Capability

“Spontaneous alternation” refers to the tendency of normal mice to choose a different path when navigating a maze than the last one chosen, indicating they remember what paths they have already tried. In this study, amyloid β injected mice given saline showed a remarkable reduction in spontaneous alternation rate in the Y maze test compared to normal mice. However, the B. breve A1 group showed a significant improvement in spontaneous alternation rate compared to the saline group. These results indicate that B. breve A1 improves spatial recognition capability (Fig. 1, left).

Passive Avoidance Behavioral Test Reveals Improvement in Learning and Memory Capability

During the passive avoidance test, mice need to learn to avoid a negative stimulus by staying away from a certain area. If they do so successfully, it indicates they remember the negative experience. Similar to the Y maze behavioral test, mice in the B. breve A1 group stayed longer in the area without a negative stimulus compared to the saline group. This result indicates that B. breve A1 improves learning and memory capabilities (Fig. 1, right).

B. breve A1 Nearly as Effective as Common Alzheimer’s Drug

The improvements in both the Y maze test and the passive avoidance test were similar in magnitude to those observed in the positive control group treated with a cholinesterase inhibitor, a medication commonly prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease, indicating that B. breve A1 has similar potential to improve amyloid-induced cognitive impairment.

Hippocampus Gene Expression is Key Behind Mechanism of Action

Morinaga Milk focused on the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory and learning capabilities, by performing comprehensive gene expression analysis in the hippocampus of the mice. The researchers found the expression of many genes was altered; particularly, gene groups associated with immunological reactions and inflammation were changed, causing immunological abnormalities and excessive inflammation in the impaired mice ingesting saline. In contrast, the expression of the majority of these genes remained normal in impaired mice ingesting B. breve A1 (Fig. 2).

These findings led Dr. Jin-zhong Xiao, General Manager of Morinaga Milk’s Next Generation Science Institute, to state that “Intake of B. breve A1 suppressed excessive immunological reactions and inflammation in the brains of the mice and improved cognitive function.” He went on to add, “Chronic inflammation of the brain is characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. B. breve A1’s ability to suppress inflammation in the hippocampus is the key behind its ability to prevent progression of the disease.” The company plans to continue to research the effects of B. breve A1 on human subjects to further explore its therapeutic potential for preventing Alzheimer’s disease onset.

About Morinaga Milk

Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. is one of the leading dairy product companies in Japan. Morinaga Milk started research on bifidobacteria in the 1960s, inspired by the fact that bifidobacteria are the predominant bacteria residing in the intestines of breast-fed infants. In 1969, Morinaga Milk isolated its flagship strain Bifidobacterium longum BB536 from an infant. Morinaga Milk excels in innovative technology and offers various dairy products and other beneficial functional ingredients to customers around the world.



Reference

1.



Y. Kobayashi et al. Therapeutic potential of Bifidobacterium breve strain A1 for preventing cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease. Scientific Reports 7(1). Dec. 2017.

2.

 
World Alzheimer Report 2016

Contacts
Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.
Mai Nozawa, +81-3-3798-0152
m-nozawa@morinagamilk.co.jp
http://www.morinagamilk.co.jp/english/




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