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Acne is a well-known chronic inflammatory condition that impacts individuals of all age groups worldwide. Several factors have been found to influence the development of acne and its severity, such as increased sebum production and hyperkeratinization. More recent studies have revealed that dysbiosis - an imbalance of the skin’s microbiome - is implicated in the manifestation of inflammatory skin diseases, including acne. Specifically, an imbalance of the bacteria Cutibacterium acnes has been regarded as one of the major factors involved in acne pathogenesis. However, now it is known that there are significant differences between the many strains of C. acnes, some of which are being shown to benefit the skin.
A summary of what we know:
Metagenomic analyses have revealed that the strain structure of C. acnes in acne patients differs from that of healthy individuals (Huang et al., 2023)
Type IV and V strains are particularly prevalent in acne-affected skin, suggesting a correlation between specific C. acnes strains and acne pathology (Fitz-Gibbon et al., 2013)
The species is divided into three main phylotypes: phylotype I as C. acnes subsp. acnes, phylotype II as C. acnes subsp. defendens, and phylotype III as C. acnes subsp. elongatum (Rhee et al., 2023)
Recent research has suggested that strains more associated with health come from the C. acnes subsp. defendens phylotype (Rhee et al., 2023)
Clinical data suggests the skin health benefits of topical application of a modified C. acnes subsp. defendens strain, XYCM42, and its ferment (Rhee et al., 2023)
Industry impact & potential:
Crown Laboratories, Inc. launched the BIOJUVE skin care collection earlier this year, incorporating Xycrobe technology, whose efficacy is backed by the clinical study of C. acnes subsp. defendens strain XYCM42. Understanding the differences between the many strains of microbiome species could be key to developing prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic solutions for acne as well as multiple other skin conditions.
Our solution:
Sequential uses shotgun metagenomic sequencing in our R&D to understand which critical species and strains are influenced by cosmetic products and influence skin health. We have developed highly specific probes to measure the absolute quantity of these species and strains, down to the copy number. Therefore, we can help to perform in vivo studies and validate the sequencing results at strain level.
References:
Fitz-Gibbon S, Tomida S, Chiu BH, Nguyen L, Du C, Liu M, Elashoff D, Erfe MC, Loncaric A, Kim J, Modlin RL, Miller JF, Sodergren E, Craft N, Weinstock GM, Li H. Propionibacterium acnes strain populations in the human skin microbiome associated with acne. J Invest Dermatol. 2013 Sep;133(9):2152-60. doi: 10.1038/jid.2013.21. Epub 2013 Jan 21. PMID: 23337890; PMCID: PMC3745799.
Huang C, Zhuo F, Han B, Li W, Jiang B, Zhang K, Jian X, Chen Z, Li H, Huang H, Dou X, Yu B. The updates and implications of cutaneous microbiota in acne. Cell Biosci. 2023 Jun 21;13(1):113. doi: 10.1186/s13578-023-01072-w. PMID: 37344849; PMCID: PMC10283232.
Rhee MS, Alqam ML, Jones BC, Phadungpojna S, Day D, Hitchcock TM. Characterization of a live Cutibacterium acnes subspecies defendens strain XYCM42 and clinical assessment as a topical regimen for general skin health and cosmesis. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2023 Mar;22(3):1031-1045. doi: 10.1111/jocd.15510. Epub 2022 Nov 14. PMID: 36374551.
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