Researchers from Pompeu Fabra University have engineered Cutibacterium acnes, a skin bacterium, to produce a therapeutic molecule for acne treatment.

This engineered bacterium has been validated in skin cell lines and tested in mice, opening possibilities for using living therapeutics to treat skin conditions and diseases.

Current severe acne treatments, antibiotics and isotretinoin, can have serious side effects, prompting the development of this targeted topical therapy.

The engineered bacterium produces the NGAL protein, which mediates the effects of isotretinoin.

The team successfully edited the genome of C. acnes for the production and secretion of this therapeutic molecule.

This synthetic bacterium has safety features making it viable for future human therapeutics.

The researchers are now focusing on using engineered C. acnes to treat atopic dermatitis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition.

The research is part of the European Project 'SkinDev' and the study was published in Nature Biotechnology.

The researchers are optimistic about potential applications of these engineered bacteria in humans, as non-engineered C. acnes has already been safely and effectively tested on patient's skin.