Skin-friendly probiotics to calm atopic dermatitis
Official title: Skin probiotics to treat atopic dermatitis
Funded at Resvita Bio, INC. · NIH-11186606 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small, carefully tested therapy using a safe, non-pathogenic bacteria to deliver protease inhibitors directly to damaged skin to help people with atopic dermatitis feel better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Resvita Bio, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $999,988 |
| NIH project number | 2R44AI179327-02A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11186606 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with atopic dermatitis who have barrier dysfunction and are candidates for barrier-directed therapies may be eligible.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with dermatitis driven by causes unrelated to barrier dysfunction may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to use a safe bacterium engineered to release substances that protect the skin barrier in people with atopic dermatitis. The approach builds on earlier work showing the therapy can deliver treatment directly to the skin and stay there long enough to help. Researchers will test the therapy in models that mimic human skin barrier damage and plan next steps toward clinical testing. If successful, it could offer a new, localized option that complements existing immunotherapies and may reduce the need for long-term systemic treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could have a new, targeted option to repair the skin barrier and reduce itching without broad immune suppression.
How similar studies have gone: Previous SBIR work showed the delivery system can produce the protease inhibitors in skin models, supporting feasibility but human data are needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Resvita Bio, INC.
Berkeley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zargar, Amin — Resvita Bio, INC.
- Study coordinator: Zargar, Amin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Stopping Atopic Dermatitis and Allergy: Preventing Food Allergy by Protecting the Skin
A large study in infants at high risk for allergies tests whether using a skin barrier cream together with early, proactive skin care can prevent peanut allergy and other food allergies.
-
SEAL Study: Preventing peanut allergy by protecting baby skin
This trial tests whether using a skin-emollient and proactive skin steroids early in life can prevent peanut allergy in high-risk infants.
-
SEAL Study: Prevent allergy by protecting the baby’s skin
A very young group of high-risk babies will try a early skin-care plan to reduce eczema and prevent peanut allergy.
-
Understanding how skin fungi affect atopic dermatitis in adults
A study will look at how the skin's fungal community influences atopic dermatitis in adults and whether this understanding could lead to new treatments.
-
Preventing eczema-related allergies by strengthening infants' skin barrier
This project will see if using a trilipid skin cream plus proactive mild topical steroids in infants with early dry skin or eczema lowers their chances of developing food allergies.
-
Personalized predictions for how atopic dermatitis may progress in kids and teens
A patient-friendly plan to forecast how early-onset eczema might evolve in children and young people using simple health clues and data from diverse settings.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.