Narrator: This is Science Today. Most people don't think about taking a compound called Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ, as part of their daily nutrition. But according to biochemist Bruce Lipshutz of the University of California, Santa Barbara, although our bodies produce it, it's just as important a supplement as Vitamin C.

Lipshutz: The more people understand how important this is, I think it will catch on further. Without CoQ10 in our cells, we would have no life as we know it. It's responsible for respiration. It's part of the respiratory chain that brings energy to our cells, the currency of life.

Narrator: Today CoQ is only manufactured in Japan, but Lipshutz has discovered a way to synthesize the coenzyme that would make it readily available to Americans in a cheaper, more purified form.

Lipshutz: Much of the chemistry surrounding this process is pretty inexpensive. And if we can get the raw materials to be processed and purified for an economically attractive number, then we can get this to the point where it becomes viable.

Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.