We all know how smooth and luxurious silk is and now, thanks to a new invention, we can have that silky smoothness on our skin in other ways besides clothing.
Silk Therapeutics, a specialty biotechnology company based in Boston, Massachusetts, announced its patent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Silk protein is the company’s signature product platform and it wants to protect the new technologies and uses being developed for it.
Silk protein naturally protects ingredients, allowing them to maintain their full potential. In a press release about the filing, Dr. Greg Altman, a biomedical engineer and the skin care maker’s co-founder and CEO, explained, “By utilizing advanced manufacturing technology, our goal is to create a reliable source of highly pure, natural, non-GMO silk protein.”
Currently, Silk Therapeutics is working with the silk protein in innovative ways to treat skin, and stabilize and deliver active ingredients naturally. The company’s goal is to use silk protein, which delivers molecules like Vitamin C in their active form directly to the skin, to eliminate the unnecessary use of unregulated chemical preservatives, solvents, or synthetic additives.
The company imports the silk protein from the Bombyx mori silkworm in Japan and purifies the silk fibers to make skin care products from it. The latest patent application is for using the silk protein in specialty lines of skin care and cosmetics.
The company received a Notice of Allowance from the USPTO for its U.S. nonprovisional patent application for a new form of pure, natural, and stable silk protein. The claims in the application explain the company’s mission to “improve human health through the ways in which individuals treat and enhance their skin.”
The Massachusetts company, considered a pioneer in silk science to improve human health, has been developing silk-based applications for use in various medical products. The new patent would focus on using silk protein technology solutions that work naturally with the body in the treatment and enhancement of skin.
According to the patent filing, the patent would protect the company’s technology platform that forms the basis for its skin care products containing silk protein. One technology allows the active ingredients in the products to rapidly release and penetrate the skin all day long. Another would target areas of the skin for intense treatment.
The biotech company has found its niche by identifying gaps in the health care and personal care market. According to the press release, “The company plans to pursue applications beyond its anti-aging skin care line into other consumer and medical products that can benefit from the inherent safety, effectiveness, and performance associated with natural silk.”
Specifically, the company is focused on people undergoing treatment for cancer, cancer survivors, and pregnant or breastfeeding women by formulating clean, mild, and luxurious skin care products for their everyday use.
The company also plans to seek out partnerships with product developers interested in health-based applications.
It already has the backing of The Kraft Group in the form of $3 million in Series A1 financing. The venture equity will help Silk Therapeutics in the development and launch of its silk protein skin care line.
The family-operated Kraft Group, based in Foxboro, Massachusetts, owns and/or invests in various business ventures, including the New England Patriots NFL football team.
