AOBiome is a

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

-based

biotech company Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used by ...

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 oxidation ...

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

therapeutics A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

to improve skin health, hypertension, and other systemic conditions.

Company

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

PatientsLikeMe PatientsLikeMe is the world’s largest integrated community, health management, and real-world data platform. Through PatientsLikeMe, a growing community of more than 830,000 people with over 2,900 conditions share personal stories and informat ...

founder

Jamie Heywood James Heywood (born October 4, 1966, in London, England) is an American MIT mechanical engineer who founded with his family the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) when his younger brother Stephen Heywood was diagnosed with amyotrophic ...

, 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 ''Nitrosomonas eutropha'' is an ammonia-oxidizing, Gram-negative bacterium from the genus of ''Nitrosomonas ''Nitrosomonas'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, belonging to the Betaproteobacteria. It is one of the five genera of ammonia-o ...

'' 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 allergic diseases by contributing to the development of the immune system. In p ...

”, 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 we ...

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 skin condition that occurs when dead skin cells and oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include blackheads or whiteheads, pimples, oily skin, and ...

, 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 oxid ...

that metabolize the ammonia found in sweat, creating

nitrite The nitrite 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 nitrite also re ...

and

nitric oxide Nitric oxide (nitrogen oxide 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 denoted by a dot in its ...

. 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 or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as ...

and

anti-infective An 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 dis ...

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 hypertension. 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. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, ...

and

eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, 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. The area of skin involved can v ...

(Phase I trials) as well as wound healing,

migraine Migraine (, ) is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headaches. Typically, the associated headache affects one side of the head, is pulsating in nature, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and could last from a few ho ...

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