Aker BioMarine has joined the Innovation Center for Neuroresilience (ICoN), a Norwegian research team focused on preventing neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and dementia, to contribute nutrition and bioactive ingredient expertise.

Today, neurological and other non-communicable diseases represent one of the largest and fastest-growing global health challenges, impacting an estimated 40% of the global population.

ICoN is a research-based group led by the University of Bergen, bringing together industry and academia across health, nutrition, biotechnology, and tech.

“Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and dementia are estimated to affect over 150 million people by 2025,” said Charalampos Tzoulis, professor of neurology and neurogenetics at the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital and director of ICoN. “This represents one of the most urgent challenges for health and society. Addressing neurodegenerative disease will require new neuroprotective strategies that strengthen neuronal resilience, combined with early intervention, before defining symptoms appear and the neurodegenerative process is deeply established. To achieve this, ICoN integrates state of the art therapeutic development, clinical trial platforms, and molecular and digital biomarkers for early detection and monitoring … Aker BioMarine brings valuable translational expertise in bioactive marine ingredients, and together, we aim to explore treatment- and prevention-oriented solutions that can benefit people at population scale.”

ICoN has been awarded funding by the Research Council of Norway and will run for eight years, with a total budget exceeding $23 million, and is scheduled to launch this year.

As part of ICoN, Aker BioMarine will contribute industry perspectives related to nutrition, bioactive marine ingredients, and research-based innovation. The collaboration aligns with the company’s ongoing work to understand how nutrition may support long-term brain health, including through its portfolio of Lysoveta ingredients.

“Neurodegenerative diseases represent a growing challenge for societies worldwide, both in human and economic terms,” said Line Johnsen, senior vice president of R&D and regulatory affairs at Aker BioMarine. “Being part of ICoN allows us to collaborate closely with leading research environments and to contribute our expertise in nutrition and bioactive ingredients to prevention-oriented research.”