While most beach goers and outdoors people do not think twice about applying sun screen protection from currently formulated products, Princeton University postdoctoral researcher and enzymologist Micah Nelp did. Working in the Department of Chemistry, Nelp understands much more about chemicals than most people. His idea, that is now a startup called Sòliome, was to formulate a new sun screen as effective as currently available products, but one that is biocompatible, biodegradable—and therefore much safer to use.
“The Food and Drug Administration did a clinical trial of 16 over-the-counter sunscreen drugs,” said Nelp during his five-minute pitch as a contest finalist. “They tested six, and all of them absorbed through the skin. If you wouldn’t eat your sunscreen, you probably shouldn’t apply it to your skin and let it sit there for hours.”
With that pitch he won the Competition’s $2,500 first place price and the opportunity to meet with venture capital firms arranged by the contest’s organizers. Now Nelp’s sunscreen has a real chance of going to market and be possibly the first over-the-counter biologics sunscreen.
Kudos also go to Groves Lab where the prototype was developed. Professor of Chemistry John Groves, who holds the Hugh Stott Taylor Chair of Chemistry, heads the lab and he looks to nature as a source for innovation that had a part in the new formulation. A colleague at the University of Utah, Anthony Young, is also involved in the New Jersey startup.
Nelp’s idea for Sòliome arose from his understanding of naturally existing sunscreens present in the lens of the human eye that protect the retina from UV rays. If nature has been so effective in creating its own sun protection, “Why not extend that further?” was researcher’s Nelp initial thoughts. Later, he learned of the positive impact a bio-degradable sunscreen would have on the environment.
“Coral die-offs have been tied to thousands of tons of sunscreen that swimmers bring with them every year,” he noted about island destinations that are banning certain types of sunscreens because of ecological damage. “Our answer is proteins: we’re going to take proteins and digest them to peptides, and then we can modify those peptides chemically so that they absorb in the UV.”
The startup has a patent disclosure filed and anticipates partnering with investors over the next couple of years during which a formal application will be made to the FDA.
Sòliome now joins the growing number of startups being founded in Princeton, NJ that is making it into a dynamic entrepreneurial hub with support from Princeton University. The competition was sponsored by supporters of the Princeton ecosystem: Chaac Ventures, Fitz Gate Ventures, and Nassau Street Ventures
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