ChromaDex and the Citrin Foundation Announce Global Research Collaboration Exploring Citrin Deficiency

ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP) and the Citrin Foundation to collaborate on series of studies exploring rare disease citrullinemia

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ChromaDex Corp. (NASDAQ: CDXC) today announced a new research initiative with the Citrin Foundation of Singapore to study the effects of Niagen® nicotinamide riboside (NR) and citrin deficiency, a rare genetic condition. In collaboration with the ChromaDex External Research Program (CERP™) and leading research institutions, the Citrin Foundation will fund a series of preclinical and clinical studies to explore the potential impact of increased NAD⁺ levels on patients with citrin deficiency. The first study, led by Prof. Paul M. Yen and other scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, will examine the ability of NR to impact mitochondrial function, lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver using preclinical models of citrin deficiency.

“Citrin deficiency impairs mitochondrial function and disrupts the NAD⁺ system, leading to adverse effects on tissues such as the liver,” says Professor Sir John Walker, Nobel Laureate and Emeritus Director, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit in the University of Cambridge, England, and member of the ChromaDex Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). “Although there is as yet no cure for this genetic condition, understanding whether and to what extent augmenting cellular NAD⁺ levels may offset the impaired mitochondrial function are important research questions to address.”

Citrin deficiency is a rare genetic condition that may cause increased levels of ammonia in the blood under certain circumstances. This rare genetic condition could be life-threatening without proper diagnosis and diet management. It could most commonly cause neonatal cholestasis in newborns, failure to thrive in children or in relatively rare instances, CTLN2, its most severe form, later in life, causing a host of neurological problems, hyperlipidemia, and severely impaired liver function. NAD⁺ levels are implicated in the proper function of metabolically active cells and tissues. This new research collaboration will deepen the understanding of NAD⁺ and citrin deficiency.

“The Foundation is committed to providing support at the foundational research level as well as support for patients and their families,” says Citrin Foundation co-founder Barbara Yu. “We are proud to work with the scientific innovators at ChromaDex and researchers at leading institutions around the world to find more answers to this life-threatening condition.”

“We are very excited to work together with ChromaDex and the Citrin Foundation to understand the role of NAD⁺ in citrin deficiency. We hope that our research will not only lead to better understanding and treatment of citrin deficiency, but also other genetic mitochondrial disorders and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,” says Prof. Paul M. Yen from Duke-NUS Medical School.

For additional information about ChromaDex, please visit www.chromadex.com.

For additional information on the Citrin Foundation, please visit www.citrinfoundation.org.

About ChromaDex:

ChromaDex Corp. is a global bioscience company dedicated to healthy aging. The ChromaDex team, which includes world-renowned scientists, is pioneering research on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), levels of which decline with age. ChromaDex is the innovator behind NAD⁺ precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR), commercialized as the flagship ingredient Niagen®. Nicotinamide riboside and other NAD+ precursors are protected by ChromaDex’s patent portfolio. ChromaDex maintains a website at www.chromadex.com to which ChromaDex regularly posts copies of its press releases as well as additional and financial information about the Company.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended including statements related to the role NAD⁺ may play in Citrin deficiency and the ability of NR to impact mitochondrial function, lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver using preclinical models of Citrin deficiency. Statements that are not a description of historical facts constitute forward-looking statements and may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plans," "potential," "possible," "probable," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "could" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. More detailed information about ChromaDex and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in ChromaDex's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, ChromaDex's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted by ChromaDex to the SEC, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and actual results may differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and ChromaDex undertakes no obligation to revise or update this release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.