By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : December 24, 2025 8:14 pm
The portfolio includes foundational patents on the production, composition, and commercial use of NR
Niagen Bioscience, the global authority on NAD+ and the science of healthy aging, has solidified its leadership position with the acquisition of a comprehensive patent portfolio from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), the company has announced. The deal grants Niagen Bioscience outright ownership of core intellectual property covering nicotinamide riboside (NR) and its salt forms.
The portfolio includes foundational patents on the production, composition, and commercial use of NR, spanning crystal morphologies, manufacturing methods, and global patent rights. Until now, Niagen Bioscience held exclusive rights to the patents through long-standing licensing and joint ownership agreements with QUB. With this acquisition, the company becomes the sole owner of the critical IP.
“This transaction consolidates the most important intellectual property underlying our NR business into Niagen Bioscience outright,” said Rob Fried, Chief Executive Officer of Niagen Bioscience. “Composition of matter patents are the strongest form of IP protection, and owning this portfolio further protects Niagen Bioscience shareholders against infringers of all known forms of the greatest precursor to NAD, NR.”
The acquired patents include those previously disclosed in March 2025, including US Patent No. 12,252,506, which covers multiple NR salt forms such as NR Malate and NR Tartrate, as well as other NR derivatives. Composition-of-matter patents are widely regarded as the most powerful form of IP because they protect the molecule itself and its defined forms, regardless of how it is made or used.
By securing this portfolio, Niagen Bioscience gains enhanced strategic, financial, and operational flexibility, as well as greater control over current and future applications—including potential pharmaceutical uses.