Metabolic Engineering for Performance Enhancement

We propose to identify plant-derived bioactive compounds for use as nutritional supplements to mitigate stress-induced deficiencies in warfighter cognative and physical performance. The nutritional status of individuals in high stess settings plays a significant role in their performance. While much work has been done examining caloric and hydration needs, less well defined is the role of phytomolecular micronutrients. While an RDA exists for vitamins and other metallo-cofactors, there does not exist, despite clear relevance, an explicit RDA for plant-derived micronutrients. Additionally, while substantial epidemiologic evidence supports the central role of "fruits and vegetables" (e.g., the food pyramid) there is an absence of technologies to define the specific relevant phytonutrients. We will apply GalileoPharma's state-of-the-art biotechnology tools, generally deployed to develop drugs, to characterize specific nutrients that will enhance physical and mental performance. The strategy we propose to follow is to target both the redox-based cellular energetic stress and the down stream inflammatory response to metabolic stress with a multifunctional compound. GalileoPharma brings two unique resources to this project: (1) a library of compounds derived from edible plants in cell culture; and (2) a panel of functional cell-based assays measuring oxidative and redox stress and inflammation pathways.