RayVio Corp., reported that it is expanding a research program with Boston University to develop new treatments for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is a disorder linked to rickets, osteoporosis, and other metabolic bone diseases. Dr. Michael F. Holick leads the research that will expose various skin samples to UV light from RayVio’s LEDs to determine appropriate exposure times and intensity for effective and safe treatment of vitamin D deficiency disorders.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to debilitating diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets. The deficiency can even increase the risk of developing diabetes, autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis and heart disease, and even common deadly cancers. Studies have also linked vitamin D deficiency to brain disorders such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia.
“Vitamin D deficiency affects more than 100 million Americans and over a billion people worldwide,” said Dr. Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D., Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine, an endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center and lead researcher on the study. “Finding a solution will reduce the onset of catastrophic illnesses and potentially saves hundreds of thousands of lives.”
“At RayVio, we can produce LEDs targeted to specific wavelengths, and working with Dr. Holick and his team will allow us to mass produce LEDs that provide the optimum UV light and intensity to address vitamin D deficiency,” said Robert C. Walker, Ph.D., CEO of RayVio.
“Our previous work with RayVio demonstrated that very low-intensity UV light from LEDs – the kind that might be incorporated into today’s wearable technologies – will boost vitamin D production in skin and can improve peoples’ health,” Dr. Holick said. “Our new program expands on that work to determine the best wavelength of light, appropriate duration and intensity that will optimize new and more effective treatments.”
The results of the earlier trials that Dr. Holick and the RayVio team conducted are available upon request.
