Initiation of oral health development programme

SkinBioTherapeutics plc

("SkinBioTherapeutics" or "the Company")

SkinBioTherapeutics initiates new oral health development programme
in partnership with the University of Manchester 

Manchester, 27 April 2021 - SkinBioTherapeutics plc (AIM: SBTX), a life science company focused on the microbiome, announces that it has initiated a research and development programme in oral health with the University of Manchester ("the University"), as discussed when the Company executed its Placing in October 2020.  

The oral health programme will explore the use of different bacteria, including SkinBioTherapeutics' proprietary lysate, SkinBiotix®, for oral health and well-being.  The programme will be led by Professor Andrew McBain and Dr Ruth Ledder from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Manchester.

The 12-month programme will develop and test formulations designed to support the health of skin surfaces in the oral cavity targeting disease prevention, oral care and hygiene.

Good oral health is an essential part of general health and well-being. The epithelia, or 'skin', surfaces within the oral cavity are considered gatekeepers that play a critical role in protection. These surfaces operate both as a physical and biological barrier, that react to harmful external stimuli by triggering protective and repair responses. Supporting this skin layer of cells to respond and to remain healthy not only helps support oral health but also plays an important role in oral and systemic disease prevention.  

Management believes that focusing on the health of the cells within the oral cavity is a potentially innovative approach to developing a suite of oral healthcare formulations. These formulations could be positioned as standalone products or could work synergistically with traditional oral health and wellbeing products. 

The global market for oral care was $30.9 billion USD in 2019 and is forecast to reach $38.89 billion by 2027 (Fortune business insights).

Stuart Ashman, CEO of SkinBioTherapeutics, said: 

"This new oral health programme builds and expands on our work in skin health and applies our already substantial skin microbiome expertise to the global oral care marketplace. This new strand to our development portfolio also presents near term opportunities.  

"We believe there is significant potential in oral care for innovative natural products with anti-microbial characteristics that can build long lasting protection against disease. This is an exciting new step for us."

Prof Cath O'Neill, CSO of SkinBioTherapeutics said:

"Our work on the skin's epithelial barrier, the immune system and the role and importance of the microbiome in health and disease naturally extends into the other important environmental barriers such as those in the oral cavity. It is well understood that the epithelial surfaces in the oral cavity play vital roles in protecting us from disease. By investigating how our technology can be applied to support the health of the oral epithelia, we hope to demonstrate its potential in oral healthcare and disease prevention."

-Ends-

The information communicated within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 and has been arranged for release by Doug Quinn, CFO of the Company. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

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About SkinBioTherapeutics plc

SkinBioTherapeutics is a life science company focused on skin health. The Company's proprietary platform technology, SkinBiotix®, is based upon discoveries made by Prof. Catherine O'Neill and Professor Andrew McBain.

The Company has demonstrated, through scientific testing, that the SkinBiotix® platform can improve the barrier effect of skin models, protect from infection and repair wounds. Proof of principle studies have also shown that the SkinBiotix® platform has beneficial attributes applicable to each of these areas. The technology achieved positive results in clinical studies in human volunteers in early 2019.

The Company listed on AIM in April 2017 and is based in Manchester, UK. For more information,
visit: www.skinbiotix.com.