SkinBioTherapeutics PLC (LON:SBTX) is teaming up with a Dutch firm called Winclove Probiotics to develop a food supplement to combat psoriasis.
The former will identify the good bacteria strains for testing, while the latter will formulate and manufacture the new product, which will be called AxisBiotix.
The pair plan to carry out a human study on mild to moderate sufferers of the skin condition, which will take between 12 and 18 months ahead of commercialisation and launch of the probiotic.
"There is strong scientific evidence pointing to a link between gut dysfunction, stress-induced alterations to the gut microbiome and skin inflammation,” said SkinBioTherapeutics’ chief executive Stuart Ashman.
“We believe that in this partnership with Winclove, which was initiated by our chief scientific officer, Professor Cath O'Neill, we can create a specific probiotic food supplement that has the potential to help manage the hard-to-treat symptoms of psoriasis.”
The sometimes-debilitating condition is caused by a malfunction of the immune system, which prompts the body to replace skin cells more quickly than normal, causing raised 'plaques' on the skin, which can also be flaky, scaly and itchy.
There is no cure. Treatments tend to be steroid-based, which cannot be used long term and have side effects.
Worldwide, around 2% of the population is believed to suffer from the condition and the global psoriasis market was valued at approximately $30bn, SkinBioTherapeutics said.
The three-year deal with Winclove is the second major agreement inked by the skin health specialist and follows November’s link up with the FTSE 100 ingredients giant Croda, which will use the AIM-listed group’s SkinBiotix technology in a range of cosmetics.