Twelve years ago, Steve and I began this journey with a bold idea: to create a cream that could reduce the effects of sunburn. With Stella’s expertise in mouse research, we built what we jokingly called a “mouse tanning salon,” testing different formulations to see how they affected sun-exposed skin. Through that work, we discovered a cream that reduced swelling, redness, melanoma growth, and wrinkling.
Despite the promising results, our cost analysis suggested the product wasn’t commercially viable at the time. Soon afterward, Stella and I left the Mayo Clinic to begin our residencies across the country. We remained passionate about the project, but the timing just wasn’t right to move it forward.
That changed recently when Stella and I found ourselves in California and the three of us decided to give the idea another chance. With the advent of new AI-driven methods for developing small peptide binders, the science had caught up to our vision. After assembling an incredible team, the project has taken off faster than we ever could have imagined back when we first began.
I’m incredibly excited to see where we go from here—and how many people we can help through a targeted, science-driven approach to skin care.
