Study Suggests Food Can Suppress Main Dengue Fever-Like Symptoms

TOKYO, JAPAN – Media OutReach
– 17 September 2021 – A joint clinical
trial confirmed that continuous intake of Kirin Holdings
Company, Limited’s (Kirin Holdings) Lactococcus
lactis strain Plasma (LC-Plasma)*¹ for two months significantly
reduced the cumulative number of days of fever, muscle pain, joint pain, and
pain behind the eyes, which are known to be the main symptoms of dengue fever. LC-Plasma
is the same functional ingredient in Kirin Holdings’ stable of IMMUSE material that
help maintain the immune system. The study was conducted by The Kirin Central
Research Institute in collaboration with Professor Dr. Sazaly Abu Bakar,
Director of the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre
(TIDREC) at the University of Malaya.

*1: Lactococcus
lactis subsp. lactis JCM 5805 is
owned by the RIKEN BioResource Research Center.

• No Cure, No Vaccine… But Hope Against Symptoms
  Arises – In Food!

There is still no definitive cure or vaccine for dengue fever. However, the study results show there is hope for dealing with symptoms. The results of a clinical trial have confirmed the suppression of dengue fever-like symptoms through a food that is safe and does not rely on medical infrastructure, reflecting a groundbreaking achievement that has the potential to provide a solution to the global social issue of dengue fever. The results of this research were presented at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Travel and Health on August 22.

Since LC-Plasma activates the command
center of antiviral immunity, it has been shown to contribute to the prevention
of a wide range of viral infections other than the dengue fever virus*². Moving forward, Kirin Holdings and the University of Malaya will
accelerate joint research aiming to verify the antiviral effects of LC-Plasma on tropical disease viruses other than the dengue virus.

*2: Lactococcus
lactis strain Plasma Research Report https://health.kirin.co.jp/ps/index.html

Kirin Holdings has reported that LC-Plasma
has shown immunostimulatory effects in the body’s defense against viral
infections through activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells*³ in non-clinical
and clinical trials, and that LC-Plasma can reduce the incidence of influenza*⁴
in clinical trials. In collaboration with TIDREC, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Reference
and Research, our
collaboration will continue to verify the effects of LC-Plasma on other tropical
infectious diseases, which are expected to expand further due to global warming.
In tandem, Kirin Holdings will make LC-Plasma more accessible to more people in
Southeast Asia through alliances and business expansion, providing a solution
to a major social issue.

*3: Jounai et al., PLoS
One (2012) / Sugimura et al., Clin. Immunol (2013)

*4: Sakata et al., Health (2017)

[Attachments]

1. Dengue Fever Joint Research Results Summary (1 page)

ATTACHMENT

DENGUE FEVER JOINT RESEARCH RESULTS SUMMARY

Clinical trial

According to the previous research
outcomes performed by Kirin Holdings Company Limited^*5, the Kirin
Central Research Institute at Kirin Holdings Company Limited and the Tropical
Infectious Diseases Research and Education Center (TIDREC) at the University of
Malaya collaborated on a joint research project on Lactococcus lactis strain Plasma (LC-Plasma) against dengue fever from
December 2019 to February 2020. During this time, approximately 100 healthy
adults of Malaysian nationality living in dengue infection cluster areas near
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were asked to take a tablet containing LC-Plasma (approximately
100 billion cells) or a placebo for 8 weeks, and symptoms were measured. The
results showed that LC-Plasma significantly reduced the cumulative number of
days with dengue fever-like symptoms such as headache, joint pain, and pain behind
the eyes (Figures 1-3). These results suggest that LC-Plasma, a food product,
can help alleviate the symptoms and prevent the severity of the disease, while
the only other option currently available for dengue fever is coping therapy.

Figs. 1-3 Comparison of the cumulative number of days of
occurrence of symptoms specific to tropical diseases such as dengue fever（Representative symptoms）

*5: Tsuji et al., Antiviral Res (2018) / Suzuki et al., Int J Mol Med. (2019)

Outline of Collaborative Research

• Location: Laboratory for Immuno-Regulation Studies, Tropical Infectious
  Disease Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), University of Malaya
• Visiting Fellow: One Research Fellow appointed as visiting
  professor from Kirin Holdings Company, Limited.
• Research Period: From the end of 2021 to December 2023 (thereafter,
  the period will be extended as the project and research progress)
• Research Topics: Conduct immunological research on tropical
  infectious diseases in order to , to contribute to public health in the region
  and accelerate the overseas business development of Kirin Holdings’ health
  science business by:

–  Confirmation of the efficacy of LC-Plasma against
tropical disease viruses (non-clinical research). Confirmation of the efficacy of LC-Plasma
against tropical
disease virus infection  (clinical
trials).

–  Confirmation of the efficacy of LC-Plasma
against tropical
disease virus infection  (clinical
trials).

–  Research support for LC-Plasma
business development in Southeast Asia region.