Join us for the first webinar in this limited series on safety assessment of microbiome perturbations, focusing on the skin microbiome and in vitro methods. Find out more about the speakers below:
Dr Catherine O’Neill (Professor of Translational Dermatology, University of Manchester, UK)
“The use of models for assessing host-microbiome interaction in the skin”
The skin is home to a diverse and complex microbiome consisting primarily of bacteria, fungi, viruses and mites, which differ in abundance depending on the anatomical site. Historically, skins microbiome was considered a ‘passenger’, but it is now clear that the micro-organisms inhabiting the skin are critical to overall skin health. The microbiome of skin is implicit in several functions of the skin including epidermal barrier homeostasis, prevention of colonisation by pathogens as well as skins response to ultraviolet radiation. Detailed understanding of these interactions requires robust models that recapitulate the in vivo situation.
In this talk I will describe what is known regarding the structure and function of the skin microbiome and discuss some of my work in the context of how well simple models mimic the in vivo situation.
Aline Metris (Regulatory Science Leader, Unilever Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Sciences (SERS), UK)
“A tiered approach to risk assess microbiome perturbations induced by application of beauty and personal care products”
In the consumer goods sector, there is a rapid increase in launches of products which target the human microbiome. There is currently no agreement on approaches to assess the potential impact on consumer safety nor quantitatively defined endpoints of concern. A 3-tier framework is proposed to qualitatively assess the potential impact of skin and oral microbiome perturbations on consumer health. The three tiers of the framework are established in accordance with the next generation risk assessment principles used in toxicology and avoid the use of animal testing. The first tier is based on a “history of safe use” concept. Since resilience to perturbation is a hallmark of healthy microbiomes, the second tier applies a precautionary principle: it focuses on whether any changes observed after intervention in clinical studies are reversible. The third tier aims at utilising next generation sequencing data and relates these to health status. However, more research is required. The workshop discussion covered aspects directly aligned to this 3-tier framework, including the resilience of the skin microbiome, design of clinical studies, as well as the potential of in vitro models.
Registration for this event will close on 26 January 2026.
Sign up to attend this series of seminars below. You will receive an email with information about each upcoming presentation, including joining instructions, a Zoom link, and any other relevant information, two days before each seminar. A second reminder email will be sent one hour before each seminar. Unfortunately, if you have signed up less than two hours before the seminar, you will not be able to attend until the next seminar in the series.
Please note all times listed in the programme are UK time.
All seminars will be run via Zoom, a link for which will be sent to you via email prior to the meeting. Please ensure you have updated to the latest version of the Zoom desktop or mobile application (version 5.3 or higher is recommended).
Mi Society is not accessible until 28 January for scheduled maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.