The 26th of October, during the In Cosmetics Formulation Summit in London, our colleague Dr Clemence Robert held a technical seminar on the latest microbiome studies carried out by Complife, that allowed us to build a very efficient method to test our Client’s product.
The microbiota has become a hot topic in human health and self-care over the past 2 decades, since an imbalance of its composition can lead to dysbiosis of the host’s ecosystem.
If early studies mainly focused on the gut microbiome, the interest rapidly extended to the skin microbiome, not only it is the largest organ of the human body but is also hosts its 2d-largest microbiota, both in terms of number and diversity of inhabitants.
Similarly to every type of microbiota, it actively participates to the adaptive immune response of the skin by creating a hostile environment for foreign bacteria and the disruption of this skin barrier function allows the uncontrolled proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, leading in turn to skin inflammation and discomfort.
In fact, microbiota dysbiosis can be observed in the case of eczema and psoriasis and steps towards rebalancing its composition showed improvement of the lesions.
So, understanding the skin microbiome should allow to DEVELOP INGREDIENTS AND FORMULAS PROMOTING A HEALTHY MICROBIOTA, not only for treating and curing cutaneous disorders but it could also be used in a prophylactic manner.
Studying the cutaneous microbiome is particularly difficult and obtaining reliable results is highly dependent on choosing the RIGHT ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUE.
We decided to base our microbiome studies on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis.
We developed a standardised collection method applicable to all body locations – the face (either the cheek or the forehead), the armpit, the chest, the bikini and legs, and the inner and outer elbow.
We defined the most efficient sample collection, preparation and DNA extraction method.
And after 2 years and a half, not only we could establish a COMPLETE PIPELINE GIVING RELIABLE RESULTS, but we could also explore alternatives to make our ANALYSIS MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE ADAPTABLE TO OUR CLIENTS’ NEEDS.
Today COMPLIFE’S LABS CAN PROPOSE either the laboratory or the at-home collection, and the cost of the DNA extraction step can be modulated based on the final analytical needs.
The choice of primers for the targeted amplification depends on the type of microbiota to be studied and our workflow is easily adaptable to other microbiomes beyond the skin one.
Finally, we offer the complete statistical interpretation of the sequencing results, which can be used for further fundamental research.
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Abstract from the speech of Dr. Robert @InCosmetics Formulation Summit, London
Clemence Robert, RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Dr. Robert studied chemistry and biochemistry and graduated in 2018 from the European Training Network Marie Sklodowska-Curie. Her graduation project focused on developing pseudo-peptides able to specifically target cancerous cells. In 2019, Dr. Robert was recruited by Complife Italia to develop reliable pipelines for analyzing the skin microbiome before and after cosmetic products use.
COMPLIFE. COMMITTED TO SCIENCE, COMMITTED TO YOU.
