Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019).

Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as noni, has been first introduced to the market by mid-1990's as a "superx000D
fruit". It has since been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant and anti-angiogenicx000D
properties. The trees grow in tropical climates especially in Hawaii, French Polynesia, Fiji, Costa Rica andx000D
Southeast Asia where they can reach up to 10 meters in height. To facilitate the farming and maximize theirx000D
production, there are different companies in some countries (USA (Hawaii) and Costa Rica for example) thatx000D
own plantations of noni trees. All over the year, to make the harvest of fruits easier for the workforce, farmersx000D
have to prune trees, leaving lots of leaves on the ground. The beneficial effects of the fruit properties forx000D
general health are well established. In contrast, the potential beneficial effects of extract prepared from thex000D
leaves, used as tea since centuries, have been poorly studied. It was recently shown that supplementing micex000D
with an extract of noni leaves for 4 weeks resulted in an increased endurance and physical performance.x000D
However, the mechanisms of action of these supplements remain unknown. Founded in 2004 and based inx000D
Rimouski (Québec), InnoVactiv is a Canadian company involved in the development and commercialization ofx000D
bioactive ingredients from natural origin to serve the dietary supplement and cosmetic industries. InnoVactivx000D
has recently secured an exclusive supply agreement with a Hawaiian company for dried noni leaves andx000D
developed an extraction method optimized to maximize the yield of the bioactive components of Noni leaves.x000D
The specific problem of InnoVactiv is that its team does not have the knowledge, expertise and equipment tox000D
dissect the mechanisms responsible for the increased endurance and performance induced by the Noni leavesx000D
extract. This understanding will be critical for the company to further optimize the method of extraction andx000D
preserve the bioactive molecules responsible for its effect. To solve this problem, the company is partneringx000D
with Dr. Gouspillou, an expert in the field of muscle physiology and mitochondrial biology with access to ax000D
fully equipped laboratory to investigate the mechanisms of action of none leaves extract.