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Nestlé has entered into a strategic innovation partnership with US-based biotechnology company Helaina to advance research into bioactive proteins and their potential role in early-life nutrition.

The multi-year collaboration combines Nestlé’s expertise in nutrition science and infant product development with Helaina’s biotechnology platform, with the goal of expanding scientific understanding of emerging bioactive ingredients and supporting the development of future nutrition solutions.

The companies said the partnership will focus on investigating novel bioactive proteins and their impact on early-life development, an area of growing interest as infant nutrition manufacturers seek to more closely replicate the functional benefits found in human milk.

The initiative aligns with Nestlé’s broader strategy of leveraging scientific research and external innovation partnerships to develop targeted nutritional products that support infant health and development.

Isabelle Bureau-Franz, head of the Nestlé Product Technology Center for Nutrition & Health, said: “Nestlé has always been at the forefront of advancing scientific knowledge on key nutrients and bioactives that are important during early life, including their interactions with the gut microbiome and the immune system."

The agreement reflects increasing industry interest in bioactive ingredients that can deliver functional health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Manufacturers are investing heavily in ingredients that support immune health, gut development, cognitive function, and nutrient absorption during infancy and early childhood.

Bureau-Franz added: "Collaborations with external partners such as Helaina form an integral part of our broader open innovation strategy to deepen scientific understanding in this field while gaining access to emerging technologies."

For Helaina, the partnership represents an opportunity to further validate and scale biotechnology-derived nutrition ingredients for commercial applications.

Laura Katz, founder and CEO of Helaina, said: “We believe new bioactive proteins present a significant innovation in nutrition right now. At Helaina, we're focused on manufacturing these bioactives at scale with clinical credibility, and together with Nestlé we can uncover new developments that advance early-life nutrition.”

Founded in 2019, Helaina develops biotechnology-based ingredients designed to replicate functional proteins naturally found in the human body. Its flagship ingredient, effera, is marketed as the world’s first human-identical lactoferrin, a bioactive protein associated with immune support, iron regulation, and gut health.

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.