About
CREDO & VISION
Innovation in the skin & hair product space is both our passion and expertise. Rather than subscribing to a marketing-driven product development philosophy, we are convinced that only a rigorous, top-of-the-line translational science approach to skin & hair research can generate transformative skin & hair products.
In our commitment to scientifically robust preclinical R&D, we insist on using the very best, clinically most relevant human skin and hair research models and assays currently available. We firmly believe in and practice interdisciplinary and international team science that unites basic skin research with clinical dermatology expertise already at the stage of preclinical research. Moreover, we are committed to generating environmentally responsible and sustainable skin & hair products that promise to deliver validated long-term benefits to consumers and patients.
Mission
We aim to revolutionize skin & hair product development by identifying and targeting ancient, yet previously under-appreciated signalling systems in human skin and hair: chemosensory “smell” and “taste” receptors (i.e. olfactory, taste, and TRP ion channels). The latter have been utilized for millions of years during evolution and are still very active in human skin, but as of yet await systematic targeting. It is one of CUTANEON’s core missions to generate patent-protected proofs-of-principle for the creation of early-stage innovative product platforms that stimulate or inhibit carefully selected chemosensory receptors.
Based on the pioneering research of CUTANEON’s founder, we focus on molecular targets, whose full potential have previously been missed by competitors (see product development portfolio). CUTANEON’s team and its key advisors reflect our mission: to combine the highest standards in innovative skin & hair research with profound experience in translating this into the development of highly competitive products and product pipelines.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOCUS
Hair growth control
(including the inhibition of unwanted hair growth and the management of inflammatory hair diseases such as alopecia areata and frontal fibrosing alopecia)
Skin pigmentation
(including UV-free tanning and tuning-down skin pigmentation)
Repigmentation of gray hair
Prevention of chemotherapy-induced hair loss
Skin and hair rejuvenation and anti-aging strategies
(incl. eyelid and facial skin)
Mitochondrial medicine in dermatology
Outside thinkers
RESEARCH STRATEGY & ORGANISATION
Methodologically, our principal R&D strategy is to perform product development research directly in the human target organ, i.e. human skin or hair follicles, to stay as close as possible to clinical reality. We also use state-of-the-art in silico modelling for the identification of patentable actives.
Wherever possible, we favour skin & hair product development strategies that prioritize ecological sustainability, sourcing of natural compounds, product safety, high product value-for-money, and proven long-term skin/hair benefits.
Administratively, CUTANEON is located in Hamburg, Germany, while CUTANEON’s main research laboratory is located in the new “Biocube”, Berlin, Campus Berlin-Buch, one of Germany’s leading biotechnology hubs.
The Berlin laboratory is supported by a satellite laboratory in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to expand of CUTANEON’s scalp skin organ culture capacity and to access human skin of a wide range of ethnic origins.
Humanized mouse models (e.g., for alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia, atopic dermatitis, skin rejuvenation) are run in close collaboration with Prof. Amos Gilhar, Technion Israel Institute, Haifa. Prof. Amos also serves as Medical Director of CUTANEON.At the academic level, CUTANEON closely collaborates with Prof. Paus’ lab at the University of Miami and with an international network of plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and hair transplant surgeons in Germany, the USA, Spain, and Israel.
CUTANEON has recently entered several strategic collaboration partnerships, e.g., with Bioneer Corp. /South Korea (topical siRNA), Olistic/Spain (hair nutraceuticals), and DermaliQ Therapeutics /Germany & USA (hair follicle-targeting topical vehicles).
Business Model
CUTANEON develops patent-protected preclinical proofs-of-concept and early-stage clinical data sets and identifies novel actives that serve as a basis for bringing game-changing skin & hair products to market and promise to be expandable to product pipelines.
Our primary business model is to team-up with carefully selected industry partners on well-defined co-development projects. Typically, these are based on a patent-protected proof-of-principle, previously generated by CUTANEON that is geared towards the joint development of innovative skin & hair products.
Alternatively, an industry partner can also team-up with CUTANEON to conceive & design a co-development project from scratch at a novel skin & hair research frontier that the industry partner wishes to occupy and for which development of an innovative product pipeline is desired.
Typically, the R&D costs and project outcomes (e.g., new IP, proprietary data) of these co-development projects are being shared between the industry partner and CUTANEON, with clearly defined milestones and exit options. The industry partner has exclusivity for acquiring the entire jointly generated new IP under pre-agreed conditions and/or can out-license CUTANEON’s patent(s). CUTANEON also offers investment opportunities into innovative, early-stage product development as well as in the company itself.