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The Genox Corporation
 
The Genox Corporation, located in Baltimore, Maryland, has investors from the USA and Japan. Our main line of business is in the "Application and Development of Products Related to the Assessment and Management of Oxidative Stress in Biology and the Medical Sciences." Our main objective is to take advantage of the remarkable progress that has been made in this relatively new scientific field, and to utilize this knowledge base for the development of: 
  • Cost-effective methods of assessing oxidative stress and its determinants in biological systems

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  • Methods to control and manage oxidative stress that can be applied to the improvement of human health, food, and other agricultural products 
All biological constituents of any organism are the result of "trade-offs" of benefits versus disadvantages that have taken place under millions of years of evolutionary pressure. Thus, almost all developmental and metabolic processes that are necessary for the proper function of an organism also have negative side effects that are generally more long term in nature.

The human aging processes themselves now appear to be a result of such trade-offs involving the side reactions of development and energy metabolism. For example, much is known about the harmful side reactions of aerobic metabolism processes in the mitochondria, which are very efficient in producing energy. However, free radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are also produced that are toxic by-products of these reactions. If these ROS are not destroyed, they will quickly destroy the cells that produced them. 

A compelling body of scientific evidence now indicates that many dysfunctions and diseases that occur during the process of human aging are a product of Oxidative Stress. 

Indeed, the general age-dependent decline in optimum health and performance (known as “Normal Aging”) appears to be the result of ROS, which is one of its major causative factors. In addition, many different types of bacterial, fungal and viral infections increase the amount of ROS generated in vivo. Sometimes this increase is dramatic (as in AIDS) but it also can be very slight as in a number of low grade bacterial and fungal infectious diseases. 

Oxidative Stress (OS) is defined as the steady-state level of oxidative damage within a cell, tissue or organism caused by ROS. The degree of Oxidative Stress or the Oxidative Stress State (OSS) present in a given biological system is determined by the net result of three major factors. 

  • Initial rate of generation of ROS

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  • Level of antioxidant protective processes

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  • Rate of repair and general turnover or removal rate of the oxidized targets that include nucleic acids, proteins and lipids 
Many of the oxidized damage components that are produced throughout the body are transported to the serum, urine or breath. 

It is the ratio of damage input to damage output that determines the OSS value. This ratio is largely controlled by a specific set of genes known as "longevity determinant genes." Diet also offers an effective means of control if it is known what dietary factors are most important and what is best for each individual. The concept of OSS is fundamental to our understanding of health maintenance because it determines the probability that initiation of abnormal functions and disease will occur over time. 

Since initiation and rate of progression with age of major diseases is strongly related to an individual's characteristic OSS, control of OSS is key to the control of human health and longevity. 

To further examine this hypothesis, there is a growing need within the scientific and medical communities for:

  • Specific, reliable, non-invasive and cost-effective assays that are effective in measuring small changes of OSS

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  • A unique, integrated set of these assays that can be used to calculate most effectively an individual's OSS

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  • The Genox Corporation seeks to meet these needs by offering an  Oxidative Stress Profile (OSP). 
The Genox OSP provides the most complete set of assays designed to assess the OSS of an individual.

Many individuals, from infants to young adults, show remarkable differences in their OSP. This difference is a result of: 

  • Dietary habits and general life style

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  • Inherent genetic components that regulate OSS  
Some individuals are classified as "non-responders" because in spite of having a well-balanced diet containing sufficient antioxidants, they still have a much higher-than- average oxidative stress profile. These individuals represent about 5-10% of the normal population. If their oxidative stress level is not reduced to normal levels, (such as by antioxidant dietary supplementation), then a higher-than-normal onset frequency of oxidative stress-related diseases would be expected.

There is now much evidence indicating that many people who appear to be healthy have a much higher than average OSS and are well on their way towards developing an oxidative stress-related disease, such as cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular disease. There is, therefore, a need to determine an individual's OSP as early as possible in life so that corrective action can be taken, if necessary. Furthermore, the OSP should be continually monitored to determine how effectively the corrective action taken (such as dietary modification) is working or if for some reason beyond the individual's control, the OSP has changed over the years. 

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The objective of the Genox Corporation is to meet these needs by providing effective and low cost assays of the OSS using non-invasive methods of analysis.

These assays are designed for use by:

  • The scientific community in basic research

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  • Physicians practicing anti-aging and preventive medicine

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  • Pharmaceutical, health food, and pet-food industries for their product evaluation