OptiBiotix Health (LON:OPTI) chief executive Stephen O'Hara told Proactive today that the new patents received concerning its OptiBiotic platform strengthened the firm's position and potential value.
The AIM stock, via its technology, is developing special ingredients to tackle such common modern problems as obesity, cholesterol and diabetes.
Earlier, the firm told investors that the three new patents filed (now bringing the total number to nine) concerned the firm's work developing novel sugars.
These have the potential to act as calorie free sweeteners and modulate the human microbiome to prevent, manage, and treat disease, is said.
O'Hara said investors can expect more patents to come through in the next few months.
"It's about building our patent portfolio," he said.
"It's particularly important in a field, which is very new to get a foothold.." he said.
Such issues as obesity and diabetes are hot topics in healthcare at the moment, not least due to people's more sedentary lifestyles and an ageing population. O'Hara also added that healthcare systems around the world are set up for acute conditions rather than such chronic ones.
O'Hara added: "The larger corporates are starting to move into this area now and unless you've got IP, where's your value?"
The chief executive said that most of the firm's valuation was based on its research and development and patent portfolio as it was non- revenue making although he expects to make first revenues this year through various deals.
The junior firm is developing three product areas, focused around weight management, reducing cholesterol and developing new sugars.
Investors welcomed today's patent news and shares rose 0.32% to 39.75p but earlier were around 4% higher.
Last month, the company revealed that its collaboration with a Dutch food research firm had yielded better than expected results.
‘High’ and ‘very high’ activity was identified in a number of strains of lactobacilli, a so-called friendly bacteria sometimes added to foods such as yoghurt, while there was ‘medium’ activity in others.