Mycology Research Laboratories
Since 1997, the firm has focused on the clinical development of mushroom nutrition to prove their inherent health benefits that allow for the development of disease modifying therapies.
MRL products contain both the mycelium and primordia (young fruitbody) of the mushroom cultivated into a biomass on an edible, sterile (autoclaved substrate). The cultivation process ensures that the biomass is free from contamination by other fungi or bacteria and that heavy metals and pesticides.
Following cultivation to ISO 22000:2018 standards, the biomass is dried, powdered and tableted to FSSC 22000 standards in the Netherlands. The powder presentations are accredited to EU and UK organic standards. The products in the Mycology range are therefore of Practitioner-only grade.
History
For Mycology Research Laboratories Ltd (MRL), the history started in 1995, when William Ahern, a Madrid-based pharmaceutical licensing executive, approached the California based David Law, a microbiologist, and Malcolm Clark, a biologist, with the idea to form a partnership to market and conduct clinical research on mushroom nutrition products. The fourth partner was Tom Chapman, the founder of Essential Nutrition Ltd, a pharmacist and former pharmaceutical executive (ex-Hoffman la Roche UK) with expertise in the manufacture of natural products. (Unfortunately, Tom Chapman passed away in 2020).
MRL was subsequently founded in Brough, East Yorkshire and began trading in April of 1998. In 2005, MRL-USA was establishment in Grafton, California.
Malcolm and David had founded Gourmet Mushrooms in 1977 and from their California farm were cultivating culinary mushrooms to supply five-star restaurants in the USA and Europe. Gourmet had a nutraceutical operation that was supplying mushroom biomass to US based researchers.
By 1980, Gourmet was the first to commercialize the growing of Shiitake mushrooms in the western hemisphere.
In 1983, Malcolm, trained as a mycologist by Dr Tsuneto Yoshii at the Yoshii Micological Institute in Japan, came across the mushroom Hericium erinaceusin California. After camping next to the mushroom for nearly a week, Malcolm was able to take a tissue culture of this mushroom and eventually was the first to establish a controlled cultivation of Hericium erinaceus. Shortly thereafter, David and Malcolm then developed the culinary market for Hericium erinaceus under culinary the trade name “Pom Pon Blanc” mushroom.
In 1987, Malcolm returned to Japan to introduce Hericium erinaceus to his mentor, Dr. Yoshii, who in turn, introduced the cultivation and culinary use of the mushroom in Japan and in China. Working with Mr. Matsuo Tadamasa and Dr. Yoshi, Malcolm ́s efforts led to many Japanese and Chinese firms to begin clinical research into Hericium erinaceus in the 1990 ́s.
In 1995, Malcolm, along with two researchers from the Yoshi Micological Institute, took four days to trek up the Himalayas to secure twelve (12) strains of Cordyceps sinensis.
Since 1998, MRL ́s objective has been to conduct clinical research that would lead to supplementation schedules on the use of mushroom nutrition as disease-modifying therapies for select conditions under the direction of healthcare practitioners.
The first clinical presentation by Mycology Research Laboratories Ltd was in July of 1999 at the 10th International Congress on Mucosal Immunology in Amsterdam where two curiosities were presented on the use of mushroom nutrition in HIV+ patients.
For more information on the clinical research activity of view link to a video
https://youtu.be/p4QAhU_wymw
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