Customized skin care products and personal care products based on the analysis of skin flora

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a combination of experimental and computational workflows that allow characterization of skin and subcutaneous tissue microbial flora and its associated metabolome, aiming to first evaluate an individual's skin and subcutaneous tissue to determine if any skin condition is as a result of an imbalance or absence of commensal or mutualistic microorganisms or their associated metabolites. In particular, embodiments of the methods and the associated computational platform provided herein relate to conducting a customized or personalized test and obtaining customized or personalized information regarding the skin and subcutaneous tissue flora and its associated metabolome there from. This may be accomplished by simultaneously identifying hundreds of microorganisms or metabolites on an individual's skin and subcutaneous tissue and comparing the resulting profile to a previously compiled healthy profile from our database of skin profiles. An individual's profile provides the basis of a proprietary probiotic skin care product and personal care products that either maintains a health profile or shifts the individual's skin and subcutaneous tissue flora or its associated metabolome close to a healthy profile, at the same time enhancing the synergies between the microbial flora and host's immune system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of formulating a therapeutic formulation for a subject having, or at risk of having, a skin disease, skin condition, or skin disorder, wherein said skin disease, said skin condition, or said skin disorder is acne, said method comprising:
 a) obtaining a sample comprising a plurality of microorganisms from a skin or subcutaneous tissue of said subject;   b) performing sequencing on nucleic acid from said plurality of microorganisms thereby identifying a microbiome of said subject, and performing metabolome analysis on metabolites from said plurality of microorganisms thereby identifying a metabolome associated with said microbiome;   c) characterizing said microbiome of said subject and said metabolome associated with said microbiome by comparing both said microbiome of said subject and said metabolome associated with said microbiome to a profile of a cohort of individuals, said profile comprising a representative microbiome and a representative metabolome, thereby generating a characterization of said subject comprising a determination of a similarity of said subject to said cohort of individuals; and   d) formulating said therapeutic formulation for said subject, said therapeutic formulation configured to modify both said microbiome of said subject and said metabolome associated with said microbiome to treat said acne, based at least in part on said characterization indicating that said subject is in need of treatment for said acne.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said representative microbiome is classified as being indicative of said subject having a healthy profile, and wherein a similarity between said microbiome of said subject and said representative microbiome identifies said microbiome of said subject as being indicative of said subject having a healthy profile. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said representative microbiome is classified as being indicative of said subject having, or being at risk of having, said acne, and wherein a similarity between said microbiome of said subject and said representative microbiome identifies said microbiome of said subject as being indicative of said subject having, or being at risk of having, said acne. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sample is obtained from said skin or said subcutaneous tissue via swipe, scrape, swab, biopsy, or tape. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of microorganisms comprises bacteria, fungi, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein said plurality of microorganisms comprises a bacteria selected from the group consisting of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Propionibacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Corynebacteria, Actinobacteria, Clostridiales, Lactobacillales, Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Bacteroidales, Flavobacteriales, Firmicutes, Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, Malassezia, Maydida, Debaroyomyces, and Cryptococcus. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said plurality of microorganisms comprises a bacteria of genus  Propionibacteria, Staphylococci, Corynebacteria , or  Acinetobacter.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein said plurality of microorganisms comprises said bacteria of said genus  Propionibacteria.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said bacteria is  Propionibacterium acnes.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said therapeutic formulation is configured to inhibit growth and proliferation of said  Propionibacterium acnes.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said metabolites comprise short-chain fatty acids, propionic acid, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each individual of said cohort of individuals exhibits a particular phenotype or profile, wherein each individual of said cohort of individuals has a microbiome that is similar to all other individuals of said cohort of individuals. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said profile is based on samples from individuals having said acne. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sequencing is selected from the group consisting of whole genome sequencing, next generation sequencing, Sanger sequencing, 16S rDNA sequencing, and 16S rRNA sequencing. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein performing said metabolome analysis is selected from the group consisting of mass spectrometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, a microbial staining based platform, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said therapeutic formulation is configured to promote growth and proliferation of one or more mutualistic or commensal microorganisms, or inhibit growth and proliferation of one or more pathogenic microorganisms. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said subject has skin inflammation, and wherein said therapeutic formulation is configured to treat said skin inflammation. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said therapeutic formulation comprises metabolites determined to be depleted in said subject based on said characterization. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said therapeutic formulation is configured to shift said microbiome of said subject toward said representative microbiome and said metabolome associated with said microbiome toward said representative metabolome, wherein said cohort of individuals represents a healthy phenotype without said acne. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said therapeutic formulation comprises a substrate comprising nutrients that favor establishment or proliferation of one or more mutualistic or commensal microorganisms, or suppression of one or more pathogenic microorganisms.