The goal of our project is to construct a bacterial strain "Beauty G. hansenii" (See Description for details) with synthetic biology and optogentic approaches and use it to develop a live bacterial skincare product with multiple efficacy. Under near-infrared light, the engineered bacteria can produce bacterial cellulose (BC) for moisturizing. Under blue light, they can release glutathione (GSH) as well as bacterial lysate to provide antioxidative effect and maintain skin microbiome. Our product is presented in the form of live bacteria, committed to providing users with multiple benefits of moisturizing, anti-spots, brightening, anti-aging, repairing, and skin microbiome maintenance as well as a brand-new skincare experience.
To implement our project in the real world, we identified our target users through integrated human practices. They are mainly those who seek an integrated solution with multiple skincare benefits, including moisturizing, brightening, anti-spot, repairing, anti-aging, and skin microbiome maintenance, and people who are willing to try new concept of skin care.
We envisioned two different formats of the engineered live bacterial skincare product, namely bacterial gel and bacterial emulsion. Users can choose their favorite product format according to their individual needs. (See Proof of concept for details).
To meet different users' needs, we designed two types of illumination devices.
This is a portable illumination which can be folded. It is very convenient for users to carry and use when traveling.
The stationary illumination device is relatively large and is suitable for home use or commercial use in beauty salons, aesthetic clinics.
The live bacteria in the product can produce bacterial cellulose (BC) film as a moisturizing dressing under near-infrared light, and release glutathione (GSH) as well as bacterial lysate under blue light for brightening, anti-spot, repairing, anti-aging, and skin microbiome maintenance.
The consumer can use this live bacterial product containing our engineered bacteria, which have a high yield of GSH and release GSH only when needed (under blue light), so that they can get the freshest GSH. Moreover, the optogenetic control of BC film formation (under NIR light) will bring users a brand-new skincare experience.
The live bacterial product can only be used on intact skin in that it is possible for Beauty G. hansenii to permeate the damaged skin barrier and cause allergy or other unintended side effects. Therefore, we will put a warning on the package and lable to remind the users not to use the product on nonintact skin.
To decrease the risks of environmental release of the engineered bacteria, we designed an environmentally sensitive kill switch. Exposure to blue light in the environment will lead to the lysis of the bacteria, ensuring biocontainment.
Our experiments are carried out only in the laboratory, because the modified bacteria are not allowed for clinical trials in China. However, it is allowed in other countries such as the United States. Later, we will continue to understand the laws and regulations of relevant countries and the trends of relevant laws in China.
Some of the potential users expressed their concerns about the safety of genetically engineered microorganism and live bacterial products. Consumer education of product safety is required for commercial success of our product.
[1] Team:SZPT-CHINA/Implementation - 2021.igem.org
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[4] Franca, K. Topical Probiotics in Dermatological Therapy and Skincare: A Concise Review. Dermatol. Ther.11, 71–77 (2021).
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