Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson is recognized among exceptional leaders breaking down barriers and inspiring the world
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Seraphina Therapeutics, has been named a 2025 CNBC Changemaker for her research leading to new explanations for the alarming rise of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease, especially in younger people.
Venn-Watson is being celebrated among a prestigious list of exceptional leaders whose stories "reveal grit, perseverance and creativity", including C-suite leaders at Google DeepMind, Netflix, Abbott, and the American Heart Association, as well as inspiring business entrepreneurs, Jennifer Garner and Paris Hilton.
"We now understand that C15:0 plays a critical role in slowing aging and supporting our longevity," said Venn-Watson. "So much so, that populationwide declines in dietary C15:0 intake appear to be accelerating aging and the onset of chronic conditions, especially among those born in the 1990s and who are now in their 30s."
In recent years, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and certain types of cancers have been on the rise among people in their 30s. While there have been many hypotheses, the primary cause of rising aging-related diseases in younger adults has remained unknown. Venn-Watson's discovery of a well-defined nutritional C15:0 deficiency syndrome, may help solve at least some of the mystery.
As a veterinary epidemiologist helping to continually improve the health of aging Navy dolphins, Venn-Watson discovered C15:0 as the first essential fatty acid to be found in over 90 years. Since then, the culmination of a decade of studies by Venn-Watson and other researchers throughout the world have revealed a nutritional C15:0 deficiency syndrome, called Cellular Fragility Syndrome, which may be affecting as many as 1 in 3 people globally.
As described in Venn-Watson's scientific paper published in Metabolites last year, C15:0 plays a core role in strengthening cell membranes. When C15:0 levels are too low, cells become fragile, resulting in a newly discovered form of cell death, called ferroptosis. While Cellular Fragility Syndrome starts with fragile red blood cells and impaired liver function, ferroptosis can affect the whole body and impair metabolic, heart, liver, and cognitive health.
"Our primary dietary source of C15:0 is dairy fat, and the global movement away from whole dairy fat foods has resulted in nutritional C15:0 deficiencies," shared Venn-Watson. "The good news is that nutritional deficiencies are fixable - this gives us a promising opportunity to meaningfully improve global health." Today, there are over 100 peer-reviewed studies from research teams throughout the world demonstrating C15:0's broad health benefits.
Venn-Watson's two-decade scientific sleuthing, which started as an unexpected discovery gifted by Navy dolphins and has resulted in a burgeoning movement to improve global health, is the topic of her upcoming Simon & Schuster book, The Longevity Nutrient (release date March 25, 2025).
About Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc.
Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc. is a health and wellness company dedicated to advancing global health through the discovery of essential fatty acids and micronutrient therapeutics. Through rigorous breakthrough science, the company develops fatty acid supplements, food fortifiers, and nutritional interventions to strengthen cells, keep mitochondria working and advance cellular homeostasis to counter age-related breakdown. With its team of industry-leading scientists, Seraphina Therapeutics challenges long-held approaches to nutrition, enabling the creation of novel health products designed to support quality of life. For more information, please visit DiscoverC15.com and fatty15.com.
Media Contact
GR0 Agency, Seraphina Therapeutics, 1-619-407-9225, [email protected], http://www.fatty15.com/
SOURCE Seraphina Therapeutics
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