Sequential Skin Ltd, a world leader in skin microbiome testing, and AMILI, a leading expert in gut microbiome science, are proud to announce that they have been awarded the prestigious UK-Singapore Collaborative R&D Grant. The $1.8 million project, supported by Innovate UK and Enterprise SG, will make significant strides in characterising the interplay between the skin and gut microbiome, offering a groundbreaking approach to evaluating inflammatory skin disorders (ISDs) such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Chronic and recurrent ISDs affect 20-25% of the population, significantly impacting physical and mental well-being. Research has shown that the skin microbiome plays a crucial role in disease progression, with imbalances in the gut microbiota contributing extensively to ISD development. However, current microbiome testing services analyze the skin in isolation, failing to leverage the gut-skin axis for a comprehensive understanding of skin health.

Sequential has built a database of over 25,000 clinical skin microbiome samples and has pioneered the world's early skin microbiome at-home tests that were made commercially available in 2019. The previous recipient of an Innovate UK Smart Grant, with labs in US, Europe and Asia, Sequential is currently working with over 80 personal care and pharmaceutical companies innovating in the skin microbiome field.

AMILI, headquartered in Singapore, has been at the forefront of gut microbiome research. Since AMILI founders performed the first gut microbiome transplants in the region in 2014, AMILI has focused on developing and deeply analysing Asia's largest multi-ethnic gut microbiome database to map the relationships and mechanistic pathways between changes in the gut microbiome and health conditions.

This funding allows both organizations to accelerate their efforts in developing targeted, microbiome-driven interventions.

"We are thrilled to have won this competitive grant, which will enable us to pioneer a novel approach to further characterise inflammatory skin conditions," said Dr. Oliver Worsley, CEO of Sequential. "By leveraging our world-class skin microbiome dataset alongside AMILI's extensive gut microbiome research, we will be able to have a real impact by developing next generation, actionable and non-invasive at-home tests."

"We thank both our countries for the faith in us. The gut-skin axis is a novel but clearly important dimension to improve diagnostic testing for the millions around the world afflicted with ISD and we in AMILI are delighted to work with Sequential on this exciting project" said Dr. Jeremy Lim, CEO of AMILI.