https://video.igem.org/videos/watch/71b8dd40-184d-4795-a49c-3cfde506f7bd Title: DermaSense: A living, air pollution-responsive moisturiser Description: Air pollution is a major global concern, particularly in highly urbanized cities such as Delhi. Approximately 99% of the world’s population lives in areas where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits. Airborne pollutants generate excessive Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), overwhelming the skin’s natural antioxidant defences and contributing to dehydration, collagen degradation, and chronic skin disorders. Conventional cosmetics provide passive protection and require frequent re-application, as they cannot sense or respond to changing environmental conditions. To address this limitation, we aim to engineer Staphylococcus epidermidis, a naturally occurring skin bacterium, to respond to environmental oxidative stress and produce protective biomolecules directly on the skin surface. Our system produces Pulcherrimin, an iron-binding red pigment with antioxidant and UV-protective properties, alongside a biosurfactant, lyso-ornithine lipid or xylolipid, which enhances hydration, stabilises the pigment, and provides mild antimicrobial protection. This pollution-responsive microbial system is designed to provide dynamic, localized protection only when oxidative stress is detected. By combining synthetic biology with the natural skin microbiome, our approach offers a potentially sustainable and adaptive biotechnology-based strategy for mitigating pollution-induced skin damage. Official Page Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:54:08 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://video.igem.org https://video.igem.org/client/assets/images/icons/icon-1500x1500.png https://video.igem.org/videos/watch/71b8dd40-184d-4795-a49c-3cfde506f7bd All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://video.igem.org/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.