Billions of bacteria live on our skin as part of our skin microbiome. Almost all of these bacteria are beneficial to our skin health and should be left intact. However, some can cause or aggravate skin problems like acne.

Cutibacterium acnes is (C. acnes) a normal inhabitant of the skin and thrives deep within the follicles where it feeds on sebum – an oily matter found in the skin to keep it moisturized – as a nutrient for growth. As such, people with acne will inherently have more of P. acnes in their follicles, as well as more oils on the skin to feed the bacteria.

Billions of bacteria live on our skin as part of our skin microbiome. Almost all of these bacteria are beneficial to our skin health and should be left intact. However, some can cause or aggravate skin problems like acne.

Cutibacterium acnes is (C. acnes) a normal inhabitant of the skin and thrives deep within the follicles where it feeds on sebum – an oily matter found in the skin to keep it moisturized – as a nutrient for growth. As such, people with acne will inherently have more of P. acnes in their follicles, as well as more oils on the skin to feed the bacteria.

Puberty is associated with increased production of hormones such as testosterone. These increase sebum production, resulting in an excessive amounts being produced. The airless environment of the follicle causes C. acnes to produce active enzymes that turn components of sebum into fatty acids that are prone to being oxidized by free radicals which in turn activate inflammation in nearby skin cells and promote comedogenesis.

Lipid peroxides induce an inflammatory response in the follicle's walls, leading to a weakening, rupture, and release of the follicular contents (lipids, cellular material, keratin, dead skin cells and dead bacteria) into the surrounding tissue, leading to an ongoing vicious cycle of inflammatory events.

Ah acne… the gift that keeps on giving!

Inspired by how Bombina Orientalis (the South Korean Fire-Bellied Toad) protect themselves against invading pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites by secreting antimicrobial proteins from their skin, Bombi took this natural phenomenon back to the lab to come up with a solution to only kill C. acnes bacteria while leaving the beneficial ones intact.

Inspired by how Bombina Orientalis (the South Korean Fire-Bellied Toad) protect themselves against invading pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites by secreting antimicrobial proteins from their skin, Bombi took this natural phenomenon back to the lab to come up with a solution to only kill C. acnes bacteria while leaving the beneficial ones intact.

Did you know that bacteria use brain-like bursts of electricity to communicate with each other? With electrical signals, bacterial cells can organize themselves into complex societies and negotiate with other colonies as well. ​This phenomenon is called Quorum Sensing.

Bombilysin is designed to take advantage of that mechanism so it can attach to the cell wall of only C. acnes bacteria while being unresponsive to other bacteria. Much like a key-on-the-door principle, only much cooler.

It attaches to the cell wall of C. acnes by electrostatic interactions between the negative charge of the Bombilysin peptide and the fact that C. acnes bacteria are positively charged. Once attached, it starts eating their way through the structures that normally hold the cell membrane together. This imbalance causes C. acnes to rupture almost instantly, thereby killing the bacteria. See it as an improved version of Pac Man! Pretty cool eh?