CeBiTec Colloquium

 date

Monday, December 10th 2012,17 c.t.

 location

G2-104, CeBiTec Building

 speaker

Dr. A. Gordon James

Unilever R&D Colworth, Bedford, United Kingdrom

title

Metabolic Analysis of the Skin Microbiome for Cosmetic Product Development & Claims

abstract The microbiota of human skin assists in preventing colonisation by opportunistic pathogens, but is also implicated in non-infective but cosmetically-important conditions such as axillary malodour and dandruff.  Our understanding of the microbial communities of the axilla and scalp has, until recently, been based on traditional culture methods.  However, molecular approaches are now being adopted to probe the skin microbiome, and with the advent of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies, the amount of genomic and metagenomic data generated is increasing massively.  Integration of such data into metabolic information, such as network maps, from which we can accurately infer the biochemical capability of complex microbial ecosystems, remains a huge bioinformatics challenge.  Researchers are usually faced with a choice between accepting, at face value, computational metabolic reconstructions of many relevant microorganisms, and analysing for insights, or selecting one or a few key components of the microbiome for full-scale metabolic modelling.  Nevertheless, there have, in recent years, been some interesting developments in our understanding of the human skin microbiome, and its impact on dandruff and axillary malodour.  While the metabolic analysis of the skin microbiome for cosmetic product development is in its infancy, there are signs already that researchers in the areas of axillary malodour and dandruff can see value in the approach.
 host

PD Dr. Andreas Tauch