Dr. Paul Spagnuolo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science, University of Guelph. His research focuses on the development of novel nutraceuticals for the treatment of metabolic diseases (i.e., acute myeloid leukemia and diabetes). His lab has discovered eight novel nutraceuticals, filed four patents and completed two clinical trials on products they created containing nutraceuticals they discovered. With an h-index of 19, his research is published in top journals including Blood, Autophagy and Cancer Research and is supported by numerous agencies including NSERC and CIHR. For his contributions to research, Dr. Spagnuolo has received several national and international recognitions. Most notably, he was awarded the Ministry of Research and Innovation Early Researcher Award; the Mead Johnson Award, given by the American Society for Nutrition; and an International Award for Bioinnovation, given by the Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology. He is the editor of “Nutraceuticals and Human Health: The Food-to-supplement Paradigm”, a book published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, a member of the Avocado Nutrition Science Advisory Board, a member of the Editorial board for the Journal of Natural Health Product Research and a co-founder of SP Nutraceuticals Inc, which looks to commercialize technologies developed by his laboratory. Finally, and most importantly, he is the father to two very energetic children (7 and 9 years old), which results in his active participation in sporting events that include karate, soccer and jazz and tap.
Food-derived bioactive compounds (i.e., nutraceuticals) are frequently consumed compounds with therapeutic potential. This talk will explore the role of avocado-derived lipids (e.g., avocatin B) as a therapeutic agent. It will explain how avocatin B was discovered, the clinical evidence to support its use and how and why it imparts impressive cell, molecular and physiological activity.