Michael Polansky's Innovative AI Project Using Live Human Skin
Michael Polansky's startup, Outer Biosciences, is transforming dermatological research by keeping human skin alive for over a month while employing AI for insights. Their innovative approach may reshape skin care ingredient development.
Exploring Outer Biosciences
Michael Polansky, the founder of Outer Biosciences, is venturing into the intersection of artificial intelligence and biology in a strikingly innovative way. Operating from Mill Valley, California, Polansky leads a startup that’s keeping living human skin tissue alive outside the body for over a month, pushing the boundaries of research and potential applications in dermatology.
A Unique Background
Polansky’s journey began in Minnesota, where he grew up before moving on to Harvard. After his graduation in 2006, he spent three years at Bridgewater Associates—a hedge fund where he gained valuable experience but didn’t find the passion he sought. His move to Silicon Valley was sparked by a fateful dinner in 2007 with Sean Parker, who was looking for someone to help manage his ventures. This meeting led Polansky to a role at Founders Fund, and eventually, he transitioned to managing Parker’s family office.
The Meeting with Stefani Germanotta
In late 2019, Michael met Stefani Germanotta, famously known as Lady Gaga, at a birthday party, thanks to the insistence of her mother, Cynthia. Their relationship blossomed into both personal and professional realms, as Germanotta now sits on the board of Outer Biosciences. Their shared ventures range from exploring innovative cosmetic applications to managing Lady Gaga’s successful global tours.
Innovative Application in Biology
Outer Biosciences was founded in 2022 out of frustration with the slow pace of innovation in biology compared to software. Traditional testing methods primarily utilized animal models and simplified cell cultures, which did not accurately mimic human organ behavior. In response, Polansky’s team has centered their research on retrieving human skin from surgeries, particularly plastic surgeries, ensuring ethical compliance through institutional review boards.
Every sample of skin is de-identified, originating from vetted biobanks such as the National Disease Research Interchange and the Cooperative Human Tissue Network, ensuring privacy and ethical standards. Polansky mentions that the company established its supply chain over two years, ensuring the tissue remains viable for experimentation long after surgery.
Keeping Skin Alive: The Process
Outer Biosciences employs a proprietary system that nourishes the living tissue and eliminates waste, prolonging its life beyond the mere days typically possible in lab settings. The company can sustain human skin for up to 30 days, allowing for the study of long-term biological responses that standard testing does not permit.
This prolonged exposure enables researchers to observe responses like collagen remodeling and pigmentation changes, parallel to healing phases that dermatologists typically discuss with patients. For example, researchers can induce UVB damage in living skin and monitor the skin’s recovery process—an unprecedented insight that could enhance dermatological understanding and product development.
AI Integration and Discoveries
The integration of AI technology has been fundamental to Outer Biosciences’ innovative approach. Initially reliant on conventional methods, the company transitioned to using predictive AI models to ascertain which untested chemicals may affect skin functions positively. Each round of testing on living tissue generates data that feeds back into the AI, continuously refining its predictions and outputting new candidates approximately every six weeks. Currently, six leads are active in the development pipeline, with numerous other potential hits being tracked.
Active Ingredients in Skin Care
| Common Active Ingredients | FDA Categories | Ingredient Count |
|---|---|---|
| Sunscreens | Over-the-Counter | 13 |
| Antifungals | Over-the-Counter | 13 |
| Other Skincare Products | Over-the-Counter | 120-130 |
This current state of knowledge surrounding active ingredients means Outer Biosciences operates in a niche where it can efficiently discover and enhance ingredients that haven’t been fully explored yet. Active ingredients in skin care are formally categorized and accounted for by the FDA, but Polansky notes there have been fewer than 200 ingredients that undergo rigorous research.
Strategic Partnerships and Future Plans
Outer Biosciences has chosen to explore collaborations rather than establish its own consumer brand. The company plans to license its findings to cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies, granting the opportunity for existing brands to make innovative products using their discoveries. Currently, four of the six leads are on track for commercialization, and the team continues to work with pharmaceutical partners on additional research.
Polansky shares that collaborations with beauty brands may also include scrutinizing whether Outer Biosciences' findings validate existing product development models. While he remains guarded about the exact details of additional funding rounds, he mentions that the company has raised approximately $23 million to date, with backers that include Calm Capital and Brighter Capital.
Positioning Against Competition
Despite burgeoning competition within this unique industry—like Vivodyne, which focuses on lab-grown tissues—Polansky emphasizes the distinctive advantages provided by Outer Biosciences’ use of real living tissue. He maintains that this model fosters a unique data ecology, making the team’s insights and findings particularly defensible.
Furthermore, the company benefits from comparatively modest computing resources, running its AI operations on-premise, as opposed to cloud environments, to ensure that sensitive data remains secure.
Looking Ahead
As the company gathers momentum and moves towards public transparency, the objective remains to refine the predictive model facilitating an unprecedented degree of discovery in skin biology. Currently, scientists are manually directing the process of product development, which includes formulation and safety testing; however, bringing seasoned professionals into the team for scaling these operations is a critical next step.
As Polansky concludes a discussion over coffee amidst the bustling ambiance of Mill Valley, he expresses enthusiasm about moving forward with their work in public. “I think it’s going to be fun,” he says, hinting at the potential the company has to reshape the skin care industry as they continue to evolve their innovative approaches.
Key Takeaways
- Outer Biosciences is innovatively keeping living human skin alive for up to 30 days.
- The company integrates AI technology to discover and test new skin-related chemicals.
- Currently, they have six active projects in their development pipeline, aiming for commercialization.
- Established partnerships allow Outer Biosciences to license its discoveries to beauty and pharmaceutical companies.
- The firm has successfully raised approximately $23 million from various backers to date.
Frequently Asked Questions