Azitra, Harnessing the microbiome to treat skin disease

500Azitra Inc. is a clinical-stage medical dermatology company that leverages extensive scientific knowledge about the skin microbiome to discover and develop novel products for the treatment of adverse skin conditions and diseases. The Company’s technology platform, developed in collaboration with scientists at Yale University and the Jackson Laboratory, is based on a proprietary strain of the natural commensal bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Direct application of these commensal bacteria alone improves skin appearance, hydration, and healing. These bacteria can also be designed to become effective therapies using the tools of genetic engineering. Many diseases, including ichthyosis vulgaris and orphan diseases such as Netherton syndrome, are the result of deficient or missing proteins in the skin. We have engineered commensal skin bacteria to deliver these missing, critical proteins directly to the target through the stratum corneum of the skin, resolving the underlying disease cause and returning the microbiome to a more normal state.

This approach represents a major platform technology adaptable to the expression of different proteins that target multiple diseases and skin care needs. These types of products, known as Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs), are cost-effective topical applications with the potential to solve skin disease challenges and avoid systemic therapy. Azitra has pioneered this work and established many of the foundation patents in the space. Our products are rapidly progressing to clinical testing and commercialization.