Microbiome Report for the week ending 7-21-18

SkinBioTherapeutics receives provisional ethics approval for human study
SkinBioTherapeutics plc (AIM: SBTX) announced that it has received provisional ethics approval for its human study scheduled to start later this year.

Full approval will be granted on completion of procedural amendments to the study paperwork which are underway.
The human study, scheduled for September 2018, will be conducted on 120 female volunteers with self-assessed 'dry skin' over a six week period. The study is designed to test whether the positive impact of the SkinBiotix technology on the skin's barrier function, which has been demonstrated in laboratory studies, is replicated with human volunteers.  Measurements will be taken to assess skin dryness, skin hydration and the skin barrier function.

Researchers find link between autism and mother's microbiome in mouse models
University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine scientists have linked the mother’s gut microbiome and maternal immune activation (MIA), with the susceptibility of her offspring to developing Autism Spectrum Disorder in mouse models. The researchers showed that preconception microbiota transplantation can transfer susceptibility to MIA-associated neurodevelopmental disease and that this is associated with modulation of the maternal immune response. They also found that ablation of IL-17a signaling provides protection against the development of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in MIA offspring.

A Columbia University Researcher Studies a Possible Link Between the Gut Microbiome and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Dr W. Ian Lipkin of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University believes that the body’s response to changes in the gut could be what’s driving ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) for at least some patients.His group will test this theory as part of a $9.6 million, five-year research program funded by the NIH.

Dr Lipkin believes that the microbiome could cause ME/CFS via two mechanisms. One could be through metabolites produced by an unhealthy microbiome. Another, could be via dysbiosis that triggers an overactive immune response.

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