ORF Genetics, headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, has introduced a safer generation of growth factors for the cosmetics industry. These "biorisk-free" growth factors reportedly show potential as antiaging agents. Marketed under the brand name ISOkine, the growth factors are an alternative to bacterial or animal-based production platforms. They are produced using the company’s Orfeus plant-based expression platform to ensure purity, safety and bioactivity.
The materials were designed to offer a safer and cost-effective growth factor alternative that eliminates potential risk of toxins or contaminants. According to the company, an increasing number of cosmetic companies are using recombinant growth factors in their formulations and product development, based on the growing consumer demand for effective antiaging products.
The company recently exhibited its biorisk-free products for the first time at in-cosmetics in Amsterdam and the response was fantastic, according to Bjorn Orvar, PhD, ORF Genetics’ CEO. “Since our core emphasis is on the medical research community and we are actively working with stem cell products and diagnostics, the cosmetic industry sees us as highly credible in their market as well,” stated Orvar, in a company press release. ”Our Orfeus plant-based production system is an elegant, futuristic approach to producing growth factors guaranteed to be endotoxin-free—a feature that is becoming as critical to a cosmeceutical company as it is today to a stem cell researcher,” added Orvar.
The company's system utilizes barley grain, a natural, environmentally friendly production host, to manufacture the growth factors. These plants are grown in a soilless hydroponic system housed in a state-of-the-art greenhouse that runs on renewable geothermal energy, set out in the Icelandic lava fields. Since barley is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) according to FDA standards, and the growth factors are rigorously tested for quality and efficacy, the products provide additional assurance that they are safe and effective for use in cosmetic formulations.
Due to the scalability of the production system, ORF Genetics can supply large-scale, bulk quantities of the material to the cosmetic market, reportedly at a competitive price. For more information, visit: www.orfgenetics.com/index.aspx.
