Bios & Abstracts

Cosmetic Science & Smart Technologies Symposium - October 24, 2019 - Van der Valk Hotel Antwerp (Belgium)

Dr Emer Duffy

Bio
Dr Emer Duffy is a Research Fellow at Dublin City University (DCU) where she currently holds a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship. She received her PhD from the University of Tasmania, Australia in 2015 and holds an Atlantis Dual Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from DCU and the University of Kansas, USA. Her background is in the area of analytical chemistry and materials science and she has specific expertise in skin chemistry. Her research combines non-invasive approaches, sensors and mass spectrometry with data analytics to study volatile organic compounds in human skin. Dr Duffy has won several prestigious awards in recognition of her work including the Irish Research Council Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Award and the Greentech Award at the Skin Physiology International Meeting.

Abstract

Wearables for non-invasive skin research & efficacy testing of personal care claims

Emer Duffy, Insight Centre for Data Analytics, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Ireland

Devices that can be worn or even coupled with the human body to continuously monitor activity or health offer diverse benefits to the cosmetic industry. Fitness/health monitoring has traditionally been the key functionality in the wearables industry. A new generation of wearable technology is emerging in the form of discreet and conformable on-body sensors with physical and chemical sensing capabilities. These wearables offer new approaches to marketing personalised skincare products and performing cosmetic testing on volunteers where skin properties, product application compliance and potentially other lifestyle factors could be monitored remotely. This presentation will focus on new developments in the field of wearable skin sensor research and the potential benefits this trend can bring to skin research and cosmetic product testing.


Prof Dr Jan Tytgat

Bio
 Jan Tytgat is Full Professor and Head of the Laboratory Toxicology & Pharmacology at the KU Leuven. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (KU Leuven) and obtained a PhD in Physiology (KU Leuven; Prof. Dr E. Carmeliet as promotor). From 1990-92 he stayed at the Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA) for a post-doctoral training (with the late professor Dr. Peter Hess). Jan Tytgat’s bibliometric data currently (May 2019) are: h index 46, citations 9055 and publications 425. He has received several scientific prizes, among which the prize of the Research Council in 1994 (KU Leuven) and in 2008 the international prize Dr. E. Delcroix (the Flemish Marine Institute, for his research in the area of Cnidaria intoxications and drug discovery starting from marine systems and organisms). In 2013, he received the prize for best scientific dissemination from the Flemish Academy of Arts and Sciences. Jan Tytgat is a member of the Superior Health Council of Belgium and a former member of the scientific committee of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain in Belgium. He has been President of the European Section of the International Society on Toxinology (IST) and was also appointed as Established Investigator (Pesquisador Visitante Especial) from 2013-2015, in the frame of Science without Borders (Ciências sem Fronteras), from the CNPq agency in Brazil. Jan Tytgat is also leading a forensic toxicology laboratory in Belgium at the request of the Ministry of Justice in his country. He is an expert in the field of drugs, alcohol, doping and other xenobiotic substances, causing harm to human health, the environment and relevant to sport ethics. In this scope, he is also often contacted by the Belgian and Flemish authorities, national and international agencies/institutes, press and media for an expert’s opinion, appointed for toxicological reports and risk evaluations. He is also Director of the division ‘Biopharmaceutical Sciences’ of Leuven Research & Development (LRD), a bio-incubator for his research in drug discovery. He holds a patent on the treatment of Cnidaria intoxications (WO2007140551A2). 

Abstract

 Cannabinoids in Skincare

Jan Tytgat, Toxicology and Pharmacology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium

Cannabinoids comprise a large number of substances belonging to the so-called families of phytocannabinoids, endocannabinoids or chemically synthetized cannabinoids. The name cannabinoid stems from the marijuana plant, Cannabis sativa. The therapeutic applications of Cannabis sativa and cannabinoids are an increasingly conspicuous, interesting and topical item today, as de-criminalization, regulation and legalization of these products continues to expand worldwide. A limited number of cannabinoid compounds have already been approved for a specific set of conditions, e.g. for the treatment and control of muscle spasms experienced in multiple sclerosis. Moreover, the use of this plant, including isolated compounds thereof, has been suggested to be beneficial in the management of several other pathological conditions, including cancer, obesity, pain, epilepsy and other neurologic diseases. More recently, immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties exerted by cannabinoids also have been proposed for the treatment of several dermatologic conditions, such as dermatitis, pruritus, acne and even skin cancer. However, the current role of cannabinoids for the treatment of these dermatologic conditions remains to be critically evaluated and defined, given that the majority of available data on these compounds are pre-clinical and that there is a corresponding lack of high-quality randomized, controlled trials to evaluate their effects. The purpose of this presentation therefore is to provide an overview and scientific insights in the pro and con’s of cannabinoids in skincare, with an emphasis on the pharmacological and toxicological aspects.

Dr Ir Chris Callewaert

Bio

Chris Callewaert holds two masters and a PhD from Ghent University, Belgium. Now he is a postdoctoral research fellow of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) at Ghent University, Belgium and postdoctoral research associate in the Rob Knight lab at University of California, San Diego, USA. He studies the skin microbiome and metabolome and is specialized in body odor in relation to the microbiome. He is the first one to try to solve body odor by replacing bacteria of smelly people with those of non-smelly people. He has conducted several clinical trials in this areas. His research led to multiple peer-reviewed publications and was presented at several national and international conferences. He presented a TED talk and results of his research can be found on www.DrArmpit.com 

Abstract

Skin Microbiome - It's influences and the impact on body odor
Chris Callewaert, Center for Microbial Ecology & Technology, Ghent University (Belgium)

The human skin is the largest organ of the body protecting us from the environment. It is home to a wide variety of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and micro-eukaryotes. In the recent years, the Western skin microbiome has been well studied, but the Indigenous skin microbiome is not. In this presentation, we will have a closer look at the differences between Western skin and Indigenous skin microbes and its influences, such as ethnic, geographical, age, nutrition and gender differences. We will also have a deeper look into the underarm microbiome and the factors influencing underarm body odor. Underarm cosmetics such as deodorants and antiperspirants have a vast effect on the microbiome, leading to an increased bacterial diversity. As possible solution against underarm malodor, an underarm bacterial transplant is under investigation. The first results look promising with improved hedonic values and an altered underarm microbiome.

Dr Bernhard Paetzold

Bio

Bernhard Paetzold completed his PhD in synthetic biology, working together in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry to engineer bacteria as a living pill. He is a scientific co-founder of S-Biomedic, and is leading the research and product development. His passion is understanding the complex interplay of the bacterial communities that live within and on us. He is fascinated by the untouched potential of active compounds that are naturally produced everyday right on our own skin. 

Company introduction

S-Biomedic is a Belgium based life science company working with live bacteria to develop treatments and products for skin disorders.  The lead program is focusing on acne prone skin.