E213: How Phage Technology Can Help Acne with Dr. Yug Varma, PhD

This episode covers:In this episode, we discuss the importance of skin health, the crucial role of the skin microbiome, how technology can address skin concerns at their root cause, and so much more.A scientist by background, Yug received his training at distinguished academic institutions including Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.) and University of California, San Francisco. As a microbiologist and synthetic biologist with a background in organic chemistry, Yug has spent his career working at the intersection of microbiome research, synthetic biology, and next-generation sequencing. This research led to his desire to develop the next generation of live biologic products to treat chronic microbial diseases.While developing this technology, Yug discovered an application to tackle acne which he quickly realized is a serious problem without a safe, high-quality solution on the market. So he set out to build Phyla and the 3-Step Phyla Phage System, to meet the unmet consumer need for clean, effective skincare and acne-fighting products.Phyla’s breakthrough technology uses a naturally occurring organism called bacteriophage (phage, for short) that specifically targets the overgrowth of acne bacteria. This phage has been shown to flourish in healthy skin, but is nearly absent on acne-affected skin. Yug decided to democratize this revolutionary organism, put it in a bottle, and make it accessible to everyone who needs it.Links mentioned during this episode:Phyla Biotics: https://phyla.comLyons' Share Instagram: www.instagram.com/thelyonsshareJoin Megan's Newsletter: www.thelyonsshare.org/newsletter