tech
Michael Polansky is training an AI model on skin that’s still alive
Michael Polansky — better known publicly as Lady Gaga's partner and a former top deputy to Sean Parker — has quietly spent years building an AI-driven startup that keeps living human skin tissue alive for weeks outside the body to discover new skincare compounds, and is only now going public about it.
TL;DR
- Michael Polansky, partner of Lady Gaga, is the co-founder and CEO of Outer Biosciences, a startup in AI and biology.
- Outer Biosciences has developed a method to keep human skin tissue alive outside the body for up to a month.
- The company uses AI to predict beneficial chemicals for skin functions and tests them on living tissue.
- This approach aims to accelerate the discovery of new skincare ingredients, bypassing the limitations of traditional methods.
- Polansky previously worked with Sean Parker, managing his business and philanthropic interests, including the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
- Outer Biosciences sources discarded human skin from surgeries through vetted biobanks and brokers, ensuring donor consent and de-identification.
- The company's AI model generates new candidate ingredients at a significantly faster pace than previous methods.
- Outer Biosciences plans to license or sell its discovered ingredients to beauty and pharmaceutical companies rather than building its own consumer brand.
- The company has raised approximately $23 million to date and employs 19 people.