Seraphina Therapeutics Announces C15:0, an Essential Fatty Acid, Reverses Key Components of Cellular Fragility Syndrome in a Second, Independent Model

New study further supports the role of C15:0 in preventing and reversing the alarming rise in liver disease.

SAN DIEGO, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new independent study has revalidated the use of C15:0 to reverse core components of a newly discovered nutritional C15:0 deficiency syndrome, called Cellular Fragility Syndrome, which may be impacting as many as 1 in 3 people globally.

C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid), which is naturally present primarily in dairy fat, strengthens cell membranes by protecting them against age and disease-driving lipid peroxidation. Studies support that if cells do not have adequate C15:0 levels, they can become fragile, resulting in Cellular Fragility Syndrome and a new form of cell death, called ferroptosis. In turn, this leads to accelerated aging and impaired red blood cell, liver, metabolic, heart, and cognitive health.

The recently published study by Aabis et al. used a model that mimicked key components of Cellular Fragility Syndrome and showed that oral C15:0 improved liver function (lowered ALT and AST) and effectively reversed liver iron overload, lipid peroxidation, inflammation, fibrosis, necrosis and a marker of ferroptosis within 9 weeks. Importantly, these results revalidated the same positive outcomes previously reported in two separate studies using different models.

"This latest study continues to build on the mounting evidence that C15:0 is an essential nutrient to not only protect our long-term health, but to help reverse clinically-relevant C15:0 deficiencies," said Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, Co-CEO of Seraphina Therapeutics. Dr. Venn-Watson was recently recognized as a 2025 CNBC Changemaker for her research on C15:0's essentiality and the discovery of Cellular Fragility Syndrome.

In 2020, C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid) was proposed by Venn-Watson et al. as the first essential fatty acid to be found in over 90 years, since the omegas. Essential fatty acids are nutrients required by the body to maintain baseline health, but which bodies do not make adequate amounts. As such, individuals must get certain amounts of C15:0 from their diet or supplements to maintain cellular and whole body health. The essentiality of C15:0 has since been reconfirmed by three independent teams, including:

• Repeating a gold standard study for nutritional deficiency, in which lack of C15:0 caused a deficiency syndrome and restoration of C15:0 resolved the syndrome.
• Demonstrating that C15:0 alone, absent of all other nutrients (including lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins), restored normal development in C.elegans.
• Conducting a review, including human studies, and reconfirming how 1) C15:0 is required to maintain cardiometabolic and liver health, 2) the body cannot make adequate C15:0 to sustain healthy C15:0 concentrations, and 3) C15:0 effectively reverses conditions driven by C15:0 deficiency.

The recent study's focus on liver health also supports the hypothesis that nutritional C15:0 deficiencies may be a driver of the emergence and alarming rise in metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. MASLD was first detected in 1980 and now affects 38% of adults and 7 to 14% of children globally. In addition to the studies above, research has shown that people with higher C15:0 have less liver fat and less severe liver disease. Further, a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that individuals who were supplemented C15:0 and achieved C15:0 concentrations above a critical threshold (5 µg/ml) experienced benefits, including improved liver function (lowered ALT and AST) and improved red blood cell health (raised hemoglobin).

"Given the mounting scientific evidence, the crucial question we need to answer is: Are population-wide decreases in C15:0 levels, caused by lowered intake of high-quality dairy fat, contributing to the rise in metabolic, liver, and heart diseases, especially in younger people?" said Venn-Watson. "Increasing studies continue to support the need to replenish C15:0 levels, which are expected to have a meaningful impact on global health."

Dr. Venn-Watson's initial discovery of C15:0's benefits made while helping to continually improve the health of older Navy dolphins, along with an extensive summary of over a hundred peer-reviewed papers on C15:0, is now a Simon & Schuster book called The Longevity Nutrient.

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.

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