CytoSolve® Systems Architecture for Elk Velvet Antler: A Multi-Domain Nutritional and Biological Assessment

Partner Description

Wapiti Labs
Wapiti Labs is a science-driven nutraceutical company focused on advancing the evidence-based understanding of traditional and nature-derived bioactives. Specializing in the study and development of products from natural ingredients, Wapiti Labs works to bridge traditional knowledge with modern scientific rigor. To strengthen its scientific approach and support future product development and regulatory initiatives, Wapiti Labs partnered with CytoSolve® to create a structured systems architecture for Elk Velvet Antler, moving beyond descriptive claims to a comprehensive, integrated biological framework.

Challenge

Elk Velvet Antler (EVA) has a long history of use in traditional medicine, with a growing body of scientific literature that reports its diverse health benefits. However, several challenges hindered the ability to fully translate this information into actionable insights for product development and regulatory approval:

  • Fragmented Scientific Evidence: The research on EVA was scattered across multiple disciplines and databases, making it difficult to synthesize into a unified framework.
  • Isolation of Bioactive Compounds: Previous studies often focused on individual bioactive compounds, failing to capture the broader, integrated biological effects of EVA in a systems-level context.
  • Multi-Domain Health Effects: The health benefits of EVA span multiple physiological domains (e.g., neurological, musculoskeletal, immune), complicating the interpretation and application of these findings.
  • Lack of a Unified Architecture: There was no cohesive framework linking EVA’s nutritional components to their molecular mechanisms and biological functions.
To address these gaps, Wapiti Labs required a systematic, reproducible method to organize and synthesize existing knowledge into a coherent systems-level representation.

How CytoSolve® Helped

CytoSolve® applied its systems architecture and bioinformatics methodology to create a comprehensive scientific framework for EVA. The process involved several key steps:

  • Parallel Literature Mining and Precision Filtering: CytoSolve® conducted a broad literature search across PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, gathering 82 peer-reviewed publications. A precision filtering process was then applied to identify the most relevant studies, focusing on EVA composition, neurodegeneration, osteoarthritis, liver health, inflammation, muscle promotion, sexual health, and immune modulation. This resulted in a high-confidence set of articles that formed the basis of the systems model.
  • Expert-Guided Systems Review: Using the CytoSolve® user interface, domain experts reviewed the curated literature, identifying EVA's nutritional components, active compounds, and documented biological effects. These were mapped to biological processes and health domains.
  • Systems Architecture Construction: CytoSolve® employed a structured bioinformatics workflow to aggregate literature from disparate sources, identify relevant studies, extract nutritional profiles, and map compounds to their biological effects. The result was a unified systems architecture that demonstrated how EVA bioactives influence seventeen distinct biological functions.
  • Mechanistic Domain Mapping: Where literature supported, CytoSolve® documented the mechanisms of action by which EVA bioactives modulate pathways involved in:
    • Neurodegeneration
    • Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
    • Immunomodulatory signaling
    • Inflammatory regulation
    • Liver health and metabolic support
This holistic approach created a comprehensive framework that explained how EVA bioactives interact across multiple physiological systems, grounded in peer-reviewed data.

Key Benefits Realized

  • Systems-Level Clarity: CytoSolve® successfully unified fragmented literature into a coherent biological architecture, providing a clear, systems-level understanding of how EVA bioactives exert their effects.
  • Multi-Domain Coverage: The architecture captured the effects of EVA bioactives across multiple physiological domains, including neurological, musculoskeletal, immune, and hepatic systems, providing a holistic view of its health benefits.
  • Scientific Traceability: All elements of the systems architecture were grounded in peer-reviewed literature, ensuring transparency and scientific rigor in the modeling process.
  • Regulatory Readiness: The structured, literature-grounded framework created a defensible scientific foundation that is suitable for regulatory filings and compliance reviews.
  • Model-Ready Foundation: The systems architecture developed by CytoSolve® serves as a solid foundation for future computational modeling, allowing for further refinement and extension into quantitative in silico simulations.

Outcome

The systems architecture developed by CytoSolve® provided Wapiti Labs with a comprehensive, scientifically rigorous framework that links Elk Velvet Antler bioactive compounds to multiple biological functions. By identifying nutritional components, mapping documented mechanisms of action, and organizing effects across seventeen physiological domains, the project established a scientifically defensible basis for future computational modeling and product development. This work sets the stage for Wapiti Labs to move forward with evidence-based product innovations while meeting the standards required for regulatory scrutiny.