J&J releases skin care and microbiome research

01-May-2017 - Last updated on 02-May-2017 at 14:50 GMT

At the recent annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology, Johnson & Johnson showcased new data in three separate poster displays. Most notably, Kimberly Capone and her team from J&J Consumer were invited to share their findings on the effect of lotion on the atopic dermatitis skin microbiome.

The 2017 annual meeting of SID took place April 26 – 29 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The event was full of educational programing and planning meetings tailored to members and professionals in all sectors of the dermatology community, at the meeting program puts it. This of course includes “research investigators, clinicians, research and clinical trainees, members of industry, and community advocates for skin health / disease.”

But the cosmetics and personal care industry was hardly absent; besides J&J, The Estée Lauder Companies presented data as well (which Cosmetics Design reported on here).

The premise

The J&J research team that presented a poster on atopic dermatitis and the skin microbiome started from the knowledge that both Staphylococcus aureus and S. aureus correlate to dermatitis symptoms. And that “the function of the skin microbiota in the pathogenesis of AD remains poorly understood, particularly in different patient populations,” according to the poster text itself.

“Advances in our understanding of the AD-associated skin microbiome along the disease progression will facilitate deeper insights into the function of the skin microbiota in this complex ecosystem, and ultimately novel microbiome-based therapies,” explained the team of scientists, which besides Kimberly Capone, comprised Shifra Liba Klein, Frank Kirchner, and NeenaTierney.

The procedure

Over the course of two weeks the team tested lotions on both men and women between 16 and 50 years of age. Women accounted for 75% of test participants.

Two cream versions were used—one formulated for AD and one simply identified as a nonfragranced lotion—on two different groups of participants who washed with a mild cleanser provided as a substitute to any usual skin care and applied the cream provided by team on their body and face as directed. This was “followed by a 7-day regression period, during which treatment was removed.”

At predetermined intervals, clinical assessments were taken including, “Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) and Atopic Dermatitis Severity Index (ADSI), self-assessment questionnaires, including itch severity (visual analog scale [VAS]), digital imaging, noninvasive measures of skin (barrier function, transepidermal water loss, skin hydration, pH), and microbiome sampling,” as the poster states.

The findings

Fast forward. The J&J data “confirm previous linkages between microbial diversity and AD severity, while extending current knowledge of various microbial populations present in AD lesional skin, which may aid in development of new microbiome-based therapies.”

Which is to say, and this is an excerpt from the poster presented: “For subjects treated with AD cream, disease severity significantly improved from Baseline throughout the 14-day treatment. Both lesional and nonlesional skin had skignificant increases in hydration along with reduced pH, TEWL, and itch in contrast to minimal improvements following use of nonfragranced lotion….These data confirm previous linkages between microbial diversity and AD severity, while extending current knowledge of various microbial populations present in AD lesional skin, which may aid in development of new microbiome-based therapies.”