Lady Gaga's partner has founded an AI startup to study living human skin
Michael Polanski, Lady Gaga’s partner, founded the biotechnology startup Outer Biosciences. The company uses artificial intelligence and samples of living human skin to search for new cosmetic ingredients. According to Polanski, the startup’s system allows tissues to remain viable outside the body for up to a month, TechCrunch reports.
Outer Biosciences obtains skin that would otherwise be discarded after surgical procedures, primarily plastic surgery. Polanski stated that the samples are sourced through verified nonprofit and for-profit biobanks and intermediaries, with documented donor consent and under the supervision of ethics committees. According to him, before transferring the tissues to the company, suppliers remove names, contact information, and other direct identifiers from the data.
The system developed by the startup supplies nutrients to the tissues and removes metabolic byproducts. This, according to the founder, allows for longer-term observation of processes that can last for weeks, including collagen remodeling, changes in pigmentation, and the restoration of the skin’s barrier function. As an example, Polanski cited experiments with UVB radiation: researchers can induce tissue damage and track stress-related, inflammatory, and recovery responses over the following weeks.
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The company’s AI model predicts which untested chemical compounds may have a positive effect on specific skin functions. These candidates are then tested on live samples, and the test results—regardless of whether they confirm the prediction or not—are fed back into the model to improve future predictions. According to Polanski, after integrating AI, the company began receiving a new candidate approximately once every six weeks. It currently has six active candidates and several dozen additional identified compounds.
Outer Biosciences develops cosmetic ingredients, not pharmaceutical ones, so FDA approval is not required for them. Instead of launching its own consumer brand, the company currently plans to license or sell the developed ingredients to cosmetic or pharmaceutical companies, which will use them to create serums, creams, and other products. Polanski said that four of the six current candidates are likely to be commercialized.
The startup was founded in 2022. According to TechCrunch, it has raised approximately $23 million in funding and has 19 employees, most of whom work near Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, serves on the board of directors of Outer Biosciences.
