AOBiome is a

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

-based

biotech company Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists in the field are kn ...

focused on transforming human health through products that restore

ammonia-oxidizing bacteria Nitrifying bacteria are chemolithotrophic organisms that include species of genera such as ''Nitrosomonas'', ''Nitrosococcus'', ''Nitrobacter'', '' Nitrospina'', ''Nitrospira'' and '' Nitrococcus''. These bacteria get their energy from the oxidati ...

(AOB). The company is developing a novel class of

therapeutics A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications an ...

to improve skin health,

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

, and other systemic conditions.

Company

The company was founded in 2013 by MIT chemical engineer David Whitlock and

PatientsLikeMe PatientsLikeMe (PLM) is an integrated community, health management, and real-world data platform. The platform currently has over 830,000 members who are dealing with more than 2,900 conditions, such as ALS, MS, and epilepsy. Data generated by p ...

founder Jamie Heywood, along with co-founders Hilly Thompson and Lenny Barshack.

History

In 2001 while on a date near some horse stables, engineer David Whitlock was asked why horses roll in the dirt. Not knowing the answer, he studied soil samples and hypothesized that the '' Nitrosomonas eutropha'' that he found present was a key species as these bacteria feed on ammonia and thus could provide a symbiotic ammonia processing function for horses and other vertebrates. To test this theory he suspended the bacteria in water and coated himself with them and then stopped bathing in order to give the AOB a chance to colonize his body. Whitlock has reported in national media that he has not had a shower in over 10 years, but washes his hands before eating, with a number of journalists confirming that he does not smell bad as a result. Whitlock has speculated, along the lines of the "

hygiene hypothesis In medicine, the hygiene hypothesis states that early childhood exposure to particular microorganisms (such as the gut flora and helminth parasites) protects against allergies by properly tuning the immune system. In particular, a lack of such e ...

", that modern lifestyle changes such as the adoption of frequent bathing and synthetic cosmetics have led to the death of so-called "old friend" bacteria which previously performed important functions in the body. AOBiome was founded in 2013 with a mission to study the effects of AOB on the skin

microbiome A microbiome () is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. It was defined more precisely in 1988 by Whipps ''et al.'' as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably wel ...

and overall skin health. They have since performed in-vitro studies, in-vivo studies, and two human studies in

acne vulgaris Acne ( ), also known as ''acne vulgaris'', is a long-term Cutaneous condition, skin condition that occurs when Keratinocyte, dead skin cells and Sebum, oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include comedo, ...

, the results of which have led the company to now additionally explore systemic therapies for conditions such as hypertension. The company has a patent covering the topical use of AOB.

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are a naturally occurring type of

nitrifying bacteria Nitrifying bacteria are chemolithotrophic organisms that include species of genera such as '' Nitrosomonas'', '' Nitrosococcus'', '' Nitrobacter'', '' Nitrospina'', '' Nitrospira'' and '' Nitrococcus''. These bacteria get their energy from the oxi ...

that metabolize the ammonia found in sweat, creating

nitrite The nitrite polyatomic ion, ion has the chemical formula . Nitrite (mostly sodium nitrite) is widely used throughout chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The nitrite anion is a pervasive intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in nature. The name ...

and

nitric oxide Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide, nitrogen monooxide, or nitrogen monoxide) is a colorless gas with the formula . It is one of the principal oxides of nitrogen. Nitric oxide is a free radical: it has an unpaired electron, which is sometimes den ...

. AOBiome is testing the hypothesis that by increasing local and systemic

levels, this bacteria has both

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, fever or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs reduce pain by inhibiting mechan ...

and

anti-infective infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

properties. While the therapeutic potential of nitrite and nitric oxide is widely recognized, the bacteria are sensitive to the ingredients in most modern soaps and beauty products. AOBiome's cosmetic partner Mother Dirt is therefore the first skincare company to formulate products that support the growth of healthy bacteria.

Clinical trials

AOBiome is developing topical biologics for the treatment of inflammatory conditions, specifically looking at the therapeutic properties of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. AOBiome started its Phase 2 clinical trial for adult acne in 2015. AOBiome has received attention for its prospective interventional study on the link between a bacteria-infused topical spray and

. The Wall Street Journal describes that "Although the company knew when it began work on treating acne that nitric oxide has a beneficial effect on hypertension, it didn't expect to see such a strong reduction of blood pressure in the cnestudy." They are also looking into related therapies for

allergic rhinitis Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a type I hypersensitivity reaction. Signs a ...

and

eczema Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

(Phase I trials) as well as wound healing,

migraine Migraine (, ) is a complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea, and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may includ ...

s, and

thermoregulation Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

(preclinical trials).

References

{{Reflist Privately held companies based in Massachusetts American companies established in 2013