Egg-based immune supplement to be manufactured in Alta.
by By Rebecca Reid
Production to start before end of 2012.
THUNDER BAY, Ont.—IGY Immune Technology & Life Sciences Inc., has purchased a manufacturing facility in Airdrie, Alta., where it will extract purified immunoglobulin Y (IgY)—a substance known to enhance the human immune system—from chicken egg yolks.
The 10,000 square-foot manufacturing facility will initially employ about 25 full-time workers, Terry Dyck, CEO, IGY Immune Technology & Life Sciences said, with the opportunity to expand three- to four-fold. The facility is expected to start production before the end of the year.
IgY is considered a natural product and can be added to sports drinks, including functional foods and beverages, and pharmaceutical products like acne medication, the company says, or taken as a supplement.
Hen eggs contain upwards of 2,000 antibodies, Dyck, said. When IgY is consumed by humans or applied topically, these antibodies can attack pathogens that enter the human body via the stomach.
IGY Immune Technology’s manufacturing process produces high-purity IgY in high volumes compared with existing manufacturers, Dyck says which produce in high-volume at low-purity levels, or in low-volume at high-purity levels.
Also, IGY Immune Technology’s IgY is odourless and tasteless unlike the high-volume IgY currently available on the market, which comes in the form of powdered egg yolk and contains extra fat.
The company is targeting the nutraceutical market, for which it will produce IgY at 50 per cent purity, Dyck said, followed by the cosmetics market at 25 per cent purity, and the agricultural industry for which it hasn’t yet determined purity levels, .
The company will produce its own line of IgY products and sell it as an ingredient to third-parties.
Its first product, Vector450, is a product designed for high-performance athletes and will launch this summer, Dyck said. Its second product, IGY4life, is a nutraceutical supplement designed to help boost the immune system and will launch during the flu season. The company also plans to conduct clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of its products. The results of the Vector450 trials will be released in October or November, Dyck noted.
