Lady Gaga’s Partner Launches AI Startup to Study Living Skin
Synopsis
Michael Polansky’s Outer Biosciences is using AI and living human tissue to explore skin health and potential new cosmetic ingredients.
Outer biosciences company led by co-founder Michael Polansky is training an AI model with human skin tissue that can be kept alive outside the body for up to 30 days.
His company, Outer Bio, was founded in 2022 along with Kyung-Jin Jang, the chief scientist, and CTO Chris Hinojosa, and the chief business officer Stanley King.
They acquire skin tissues discarded during surgeries, mostly plastic ones. This tissue comes from biobanks or private brokers with consent from the donors and institutional review board approval; the tissue is de-identified before reaching the company.
AI model tests potential skin ingredients
The company claims that their system prolongs the useful life of skin beyond the few days that have been previously typical for such experiments. Researchers can make observations of the slow processes, such as aging, pigment production, collagen production, and skin barrier function restoration.
The AI-driven model predicts which of the untested ingredients may impact those specific functions. Then, the guess is tested on actual skin, after which the data is used to train the model further. According to Polansky, they currently have six different leads and four of which are likely to enter commercialization. They are releasing a new candidate every six months.
Outer Bio has raised about $23 million from investors, including Wing Ventures, Initialized, and Polanksy’s own Hawktail, the report noted. The firm has 19 employees, most of which are based in the Boston area, with the rest being located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Human-based testing gains attention
Human-based testing is making a comeback in the U.S., where regulators are now pushing for alternatives to animal testing in drug development, with FDA’s April 2025 Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies.
McKinsey’s June 26, 2026, report, From aisle to algorithm: The beauty categories, channels, and concepts shaping 2030 growth, predicts that the global beauty market will grow 5% per year through 2030, reaching $590 billion. It will be driven by the U.S., Australia, India, China, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and other developed regions and emerging markets.
McKinsey expects a more significant increase in Latin America, Southeastern and Central Asia, with Europe projected to grow at a more moderate pace.
Outer Bio is not the only company developing innovative methods for studying human tissues and cells. For example, Philadelphia-based Vivodyne has raised just shy of $80 million, including a $38 million in its seed funding and closed on a $40 million Series A, the report found.
Source: TechCrunch
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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