Phylogica duly licensed its skin-repair Phylomer peptide PYC35 to Le Métier de Beauté for use in cosmetic products in the US, UK and Hong Kong markets.
The manufacturer will use PYC35 in its premium range of Peau Vierge anti-aging creams that will be commercialized initially across the US through department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom.
Le Métier's CEO Richard Blanch said “there is genuine demand from our client base and retail partners for products that can prevent scars and repair skin from the sources of damage such as UV exposure.”
“Le Métier plans to use PYC35 within its Peau Vierge product range to develop groundbreaking new cosmetic and skincare products for the luxury beauty marketplace."
Significant royalties
Under the terms of the agreement Phylogica will receive a significant royalty on all sales of Le Métier's cosmetic products that the peptide.
The Phylomer peptide PYC35 derives from the genome of a microorganism known as Pyrococcus horikoshii.
The properties of the PYC35 peptide reflect some of the unique characteristics of its host species. In preclinical models of dermal wounds, UV radiation damage and severe skin burns; PYC35 showed potent skin-repair activity.
For example PYC35 significantly improved the process of wound healing in a well-validated model of severe skin burns.
Possible cosmetic applications
The potential cosmetic applications of PYC35 include use in treatments to repair skin following sun or thermal damage and in a rejuvenating serum to reduce skin damage from long-term environmental exposure to UV.
"Given the exotic habitat of Pyrococcus which dwells in the harsh environment of undersea vents, it is intriguing that a peptide derived from that organism's genome has potential in repairing burn injuries and preventing long-term skin damage such as scars," commented Phylogica's CEO Dr Paul Watt.
"While we expect to announce new alliances in the coming months relating to our core drug discovery, this cosmetics deal opens up a new market opportunity and could generate meaningful near-term revenue for Phylogica. This deal with Le Métier is non-exclusive and we are evaluating other opportunities to maximize the market opportunity for this peptide."