Implementation

With MIKROSKIN, we aim to find a link between the abundance of various bacteria on the skin and several skin conditions. If a correlation is found, MIKROSKIN could be used to enable better and more personalized treatment since it would work as a tool for diagnosis. It would help determine the course of further treatment in e.g. atopic dermatitis

Worldwide, skin problems affect a massive portion of the population. Acne alone affects up to 85% of the 11 to 30 year old population around the world (1). Acne, however, is only one of the possible consequences of an imbalanced skin microbiota.

It is now hypothesized this imbalance in skin microbiota plays a role in a variety of skin diseases, including in eczema, acne vulgaris, rosacea and atopic dermatitis (2, 3, 4). Additionally, an imbalance in skin microbiota can affect wound healing, e.g. by leading to chronic wounds (5).

Generally, it is difficult to establish this imbalance. Many of the diseases associated with the skin are not correlated to microbiota yet, which is why doctors do not look in this area for treatment. Additionally, exact numbers on how many people experience imbalances in skin microbiota are not known, showing how important it is to have a rapid test to help establish knowledge in this area.

For this reason, we are developing MIKROSKIN: a rapid test to find a correlation between bacteria on the skin and diseases they may cause. By targeting S. aureus and C. acnes, imbalances in which are commonly associated with atopic dermatitis and acne, respectively, a possible link could be examined.

Entrepreneurship

We created a secondary subteam within our team this year dedicated to Entrepreneurship, which allowed us to explore further how our project would look in the real world and on the market.

You can read our journey about entrepreneurship here

Sources

• Dagnelie MA, Montassier E, Khammari A, Mounier C, Corvec S, et al. Inflammatory skin is associated with changes in the skin microbiota composition on the back of severe acne patients. Exp Dermatol. 2019 Aug;28(8):961-967. Epub 2019 Jul 3.
• Ying L, Shan W, Wankui D, Yuan L, Chunping S, et al. Distinct Skin Microbiota Imbalance and Responses to Clinical Treatment in Children With Atopic Dermatitis. Front in Cell and Infect Microbiology. 2020;10:336.
• Murillo N, Raoult D. Skin microbiota: overview and role in the skin diseases acne vulgaris and rosacea. Fut Microbio. 2013;8(2).
• Williams MR, Costa SK, Zaramela LS, Khalil S, Todd DA, et al. Quorum sensing between bacterial species on the skin protects against epidermal injury in atopic dermatitis. Sci Trans Med. 2019 May;11(490):eaat8329.
• Tomic-Canic M, Burgess JL, O’Neill KE, Strbo N, Pastar I. Skin microbiota and its interplay with wound healing. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2020;21:36-43.