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Skin Probiotics Inventors: Reid Harris and Kevin Minbiole Department: Biology and Chemistry Overview Research Funding and Source: National Science Foundation James Madison University inventors have filed a patent Years of Development: 4 years application on a helpful bacterium that could potentially be Technology Readiness: Research Development used as a therapy for human skin fungus such as athlete’s foot. Patent Status: U.S. patent pending 20110002891 The JMU inventors have developed a potential process to Contact: Mary Lou Bourne, Director of Technology Transfer deliver a helpful microbe, Janthinobacterium Lividum to the James Madison University skin using a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The microbe Phone: (540)568-2865 E-mail: [email protected] has been shown to suppress bacterial and fungal growth on animals and in lab demonstrations. Tech Transfer and Business Model Infections can be a problem for a wide array of hosts. For JMI is interested in identifying an existing company or example, there are a variety of infections, such as bacterial, entrepreneur interested in commercializing the technology viral and/or fungal infections, that affect a large percentage of either under an exclusive or a non-exclusive license. A the human population. Tricophyton rubrum, the fungus that small company or entrepreneur could further develop the causes athlete’s foot, is responsible for approximately 46% to technology, possibly using SBIR or STTR funding. 72% of cutaneous and nail mycoses worldwide. Onychomycosis, a common and persistent fungal infection, is Market and Competition In 2008, the U.S. prescription market for tinea pedis diagnosed in two to eight percent of the global population. (athlete’s foot) was $385 million, or approximately 22 million The disease can cause disfigurement of nails and/or pain. prescriptions. A new prescription anti-fungal agent has Treatments for dermatophytoses currently include antifungal been not been introduced into the market in over five years. topical products (e.g., terbinafine, itraconazole, miconazole, Current drugs require repeated applications and our proposed etc.) and/or systemic therapy. However, some of these strategy might require only a single application regimen. treatments can take many months to address an infection and Onychomycosis (nail and nail bed fungal infections) affects require a relatively large number of applications. Furthermore, approximately 35 million people in the U.S. Of those the growing problem of antibiotic resistance and the toxicity affected, it is estimated that 47 percent are not receiving of relatively long term treatments have formed a need for an treatment. alternative treatment in human populations. The potential annual U.S. market for onychomycosis Probiotics have been utilized for their role in the protection treatment is estimated at approximately $3.0 billion. The of the digestive tract. More recently, probiotics have been demonstrated efficacy ofJ. lividum as a probiotic treatment explored for their dermatological applications, although none for fungal infections, combined with the prevalence of J. have included Janthinobacterium. lividum on human skin and on food, suggests that human The JMU technology could potentially be developed into a antifungal, antibacterial, and antiparasitic treatments are novel over-the-counter probiotic treatment for bacterial and possible. fungal infections on human skin.

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