Prof. Charles Brenner
Alfred E. Mann Family Foundation Chair in Diabetes and Cancer Metabolism | City of Hope National Medical Center
About
American biochemist who co-discovered nicotinamide riboside (NR) as a NAD+ precursor in 2004. Founded the field of NR research and later joined ChromaDex as Chief Scientific Advisor. His critical perspective on NMN vs NR shaped much of the public-facing precursor debate.
Key contributions
- Co-discovered NR as NAD+ precursor (2004)
- ChromaDex/Niagen scientific advisor
- Pro-NR critical voice in NAD+ debate
Publications in our knowledge base (22)
Every paper below is cited at least once across NMN Malaysia articles. Click any title to read the source on PubMed/DOI and see the cluster of articles that depend on its findings.
- Effects of nicotinamide riboside on NAD+ levels, cognition, and symptom recovery in long-COVID: a randomized controlled trial
- Human study published in EClinicalMedicine (2025) examining Effects of nicotinamide riboside on NAD+ levels, cognition, and symptom recovery in long-C...
- Provides clinical-grade evidence on NAD+/NMN-related outcomes in human participants
- First author: Wu CY; cited frequently in NMN supplementation discussions
- NAPRT expression and epigenetic regulation in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma as a potential biomarker for NAMPT inhibition
- Mechanistic study in bioRxiv (2025) on NAD+/sirtuin/longevity biology
- Adds to the foundational literature underlying NMN supplementation rationale
- First author: Kim A
- A randomized placebo-controlled trial of nicotinamide riboside in older adults with mild cognitive impairment
- Human study published in Geroscience (2024) examining A randomized placebo-controlled trial of nicotinamide riboside in older adults with mild c...
- Provides clinical-grade evidence on NAD+/NMN-related outcomes in human participants
- First author: Orr ME; cited frequently in NMN supplementation discussions
- Cryptic phosphoribosylase activity of NAMPT restricts the virion incorporation of viral proteins
- Preclinical animal study in Nat Metab (2024) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Nicotinamide riboside first alleviates symptoms but later downregulates dopamine metabolism in proteasome inhibition mouse model of Parkinson's disease
- Preclinical animal study in Heliyon (2024) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Oral supplementation with Nicotinamide Riboside treatment protects RGCs in DBA/2J mouse model
- Preclinical animal study in bioRxiv (2024) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Exploiting Metabolic Defects in Glioma with Nanoparticle-Encapsulated NAMPT Inhibitors
- Mechanistic study in Mol Cancer Ther (2024) on NAD+/sirtuin/longevity biology
- Adds to the foundational literature underlying NMN supplementation rationale
- First author: Murray MA
- Nicotinamide riboside improves muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, satellite cell differentiation, and gut microbiota in a twin study
- Mechanistic study in Sci Adv (2023) on NAD+/sirtuin/longevity biology
- Adds to the foundational literature underlying NMN supplementation rationale
- First author: Lapatto HAK
- The Interferon-inducible NAMPT acts as a protein phosphoribosylase to restrict viral infection
- Mechanistic study in bioRxiv (2023) on NAD+/sirtuin/longevity biology
- Adds to the foundational literature underlying NMN supplementation rationale
- First author: Zhang S
- Author Correction: Senescent cells promote tissue NAD(+) decline during ageing via the activation of CD38(+) macrophages
- In vitro / cell culture study in Nat Metab (2021) exploring NAD+ pathway biology
- Cellular-level evidence - does not directly establish human benefit
- Contributes to molecular understanding of NMN/NAD+ effects
- Inhibition of CD38 and supplementation of nicotinamide riboside ameliorate lipopolysaccharide-induced microglial and astrocytic neuroinflammation by increasing NAD()
- Preclinical animal study in J Neurochem (2021) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Systemic Treatment with Nicotinamide Riboside Is Protective in Two Mouse Models of Retinal Ganglion Cell Damage
- Preclinical animal study in Pharmaceutics (2021) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Senescent cells promote tissue NAD(+) decline during ageing via the activation of CD38(+) macrophages
- In vitro / cell culture study in Nat Metab (2020) exploring NAD+ pathway biology
- Cellular-level evidence - does not directly establish human benefit
- Contributes to molecular understanding of NMN/NAD+ effects
- Nicotinamide riboside supplementation corrects deficits in oxytocin, sociability and anxiety of CD157 mutants in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorder
- Preclinical animal study in Sci Rep (2020) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Interleukin-8 drives CD38 to form NAADP from NADP(+) and NAAD in the endolysosomes to mobilize Ca(2+) and effect cell migration
- Preclinical animal study in FASEB J (2020) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Systemic Treatment With Nicotinamide Riboside Is Protective in a Mouse Model of Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration
- Preclinical animal study in Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci (2020) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Deletion of CD38 and supplementation of NAD(+) attenuate axon degeneration in a mouse facial nerve axotomy model
- Preclinical animal study in Sci Rep (2020) investigating NAD+/NMN pathway mechanisms
- Findings inform translational rationale; not yet replicated in humans
- Mechanistic data on tissue-specific NAD+ effects
- Safety and metabolism of long-term administration of NIAGEN (NR) in healthy overweight adults
- NR 1g/day for 8 weeks well tolerated
- Statistically significant NAD+ elevation
- No clinically meaningful adverse events
- PPM1D mutations silence NAPRT gene expression and confer NAMPT inhibitor sensitivity in glioma
- Mechanistic study in Nat Commun (2019) on NAD+/sirtuin/longevity biology
- Adds to the foundational literature underlying NMN supplementation rationale
- First author: Fons NR
- Absence of evidence that Slc12a8 encodes a nicotinamide mononucleotide transporter
- Mechanistic study in Nat Metab (2019) on NAD+/sirtuin/longevity biology
- Adds to the foundational literature underlying NMN supplementation rationale
- First author: Schmidt MS
- Nicotinamide riboside is uniquely and orally bioavailable in mice and humans
- Demonstrated oral NR bioavailability in humans
- Frequent comparator paper for NMN bioavailability claims
- Brenner's lab - opposing camp to Imai's NMN focus
- Nicotinic Acid, Nicotinamide, and Nicotinamide Riboside: A Molecular Evaluation of NAD+ Precursor Vitamins in Human Nutrition
- NR positioned as vitamin
- Bioavailability mechanisms reviewed
- Therapeutic potential framework
Why their work matters for Malaysian buyers
Prof. Charles Brenner's research forms part of the evidence base we use to evaluate NMN and NR products available in Malaysia. When we make claims about dose ranges, safety, mechanism, or efficacy on this site, those claims trace back through papers like the ones above. The Malaysian regulatory framework (NPRA notification, JAKIM halal certification) does not perform efficacy review on supplements - buyers must do their own evidence weighting. Researcher profiles help you verify that the underlying science is robust, not just marketing.
How we cite this work
Every NMN Malaysia article that depends on findings from Prof. Charles Brenner's lab carries an inline citation linking to a structured PubMed entry. You can verify any claim by clicking the citation and reading the source. This cited-research model is the bedrock of our editorial policy - see the 4-step review process for how we handle every health claim.
Related researchers
Browse other profiles: David Sinclair | Shinichiro Imai | Jun Yoshino | Charles Brenner | all profiles.