The University of Bradford’s Centre for Skin Sciences and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded Skin Microbiome in Healthy Ageing (SMiHA) project is one of 11 projects funded by the The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC).

University of Bradford scientists are helping open new areas of research into the skin microbiome.

Much like the gut microbiome, the skin has its own community of microorganisms, whose job is to protect us from infection and maintain a healthy state. However, scientists are only now beginning to understand the scope and complexity of the skin microbiome, which makes it an area ripe for new research and potential discoveries that could lead to new healthcare treatments.

Did You Know?

•          The skin microbiome consists of billions of bacteria, with around a billion for each square centimetre

•          Children born via C-section will have different biomes than if they were born naturally

•          Some skin conditions are associated with the disruption of the skin microbiota

•          Each person’s skin microbiome is unique and changes as you get older

•          Skin disorders occur from tiny infants to the very elderly and some 50% of the UK population suffer a microbiome associated skin complaint each year 

The University of Bradford’s Centre for Skin Sciences and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded Skin Microbiome in Healthy Ageing (SMiHA) project is one of 11 projects funded by the The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC).

 The University works with an extensive portfolio of companies, including Aveda/Estée Lauder, BASF and Johnson & Johnson.

“Many companies do not have the capacity to do this sort of research in-house, nor the breadth of knowledge, or research environment. Ultimately, companies have a choice of how they commission research, but when they choose to work with a university, such as ours, they not only get what they asked for but also the benefit of the wider research environment,” says Dr. Gillian Westgate is business development manager in the Centre for Skin Sciences, in a news release. “We carry out research for companies that make active ingredients and finished products - things like skin creams and shampoo… It is important for consumers to trust the products they buy, and our work provides the manufacturers with valuable scientific insights.”

Most recently, the University organized and led a ‘sandpit’ event with the SMiHA network, bringing together experts from industry and academia, including other university partners in the SMiHA skin microbiome network: Liverpool, Manchester, East Anglia, and Queen Mary University London. 

“As the only network focused on skin, SMiHA aims to discover more about the role of the microbiota that live on our body and how this community of microorganisms contribute to health and wellbeing, especially in older people,” says Professor Julie Thornton, the academic director of the Centre for Skin Sciences.  “Feedback from all participants demonstrated an overwhelming desire and excitement to work together with industry in this network, [and] areas of innovation that were raised as priority included women's health and to understand the impact of the menopause in skin, as well as in intimate health; acne and wound care strategies, working with the microbiome as opposed to conventional anti-microbial approaches, and the need to develop laboratory models to explore innovative approaches to managing skin health via targeting the microbiome.”

To facilitate the development of these priorities, SMiHA will soon be launching a small projects fund which organizers hope will attract ‘matched funding’ from industry. It will have an open brief, a competitive bidding process and is designed to leverage larger funded projects in the future. The fund will also be used to facilitate researcher exchanges. For example, businesses can host an academic with skin microbiome expertise to help with a business-related project.

PHOTO CREDIT: University of Bradford.