New Seaweed Patch Tests Skin Microbiome, Aging

0:00It's April 7. This is Hartford News today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Researchers at the University of Connecticut Center on Aging in the Jackson Laboratory are testing a new micro patch in clinical trials. This dime-sized patch works like Velcro with tiny projections made from FDA-approved seaweed material. It painlessly pulls immune cells and biomarkers from the fluid in your skin, skipping needles or biopsies. The trial, called Skin Immunity as a function of frailty, aging and skin microbiome composition, comes from a collaboration between Jackson Lab, UConn School of Medicine, and tech originally developed with MIT. They apply these patches to seven spots on the body, some for 20 minutes, others for 24 hours. As people age, their skin microbiome ships, affecting health and frailty levels, even among folks the same age. Some studies show these bacteria changes, influence immunity, and now they're linking it to cognitive and physical decline with this patch data.

1:03The National Institutes of Health funds the work, led by experts like Julie Robison, a UConn and Saasan Jalili at Jackson Lab. They're recruiting diverse participants aged 20 to 40 and 60 or older, both frail and healthy, to broaden the insights. This could unlock better disease predictions, personalized treatments, and healthier aging years ahead, arming us against what time throws our way.