March 13, 2025 FLSCC Meeting, Daytona Beach, Florida

Presentation Title: A novel platform for the discovery and biotechnological production of plant endophytes as a source for cosmetic actives

Presentation Abstract: 

The recent years have seen an explosion of knowledge regarding the human microbiome and its effects on health are now widely accepted. Although much less known, plants also possess their own endophytic microbiome. Endophytes are symbiotic microorganisms that live inside plants promoting beneficial effects on their growth and development. Due to their capacity to produce a wide range of bioactive plant compounds in combination with their ability to grow under controlled conditions, plant endophytes are ideal candidates to identify novel natural sources for the development of cosmetic actives, while mitigating the overexploitation of host plants. We have successfully developed a pioneering platform for the isolation and biotechnological production of plant endophytes as a sustainable source for natural and traceable active cosmetic ingredients. Our collection includes more than 130 different endophytic strains isolated from 7 plants and trees belonging to 3 major phyla grown under organic conditions on the Mediterranean coast. Metabolomic, bioinformatic and in vitro analyses were performed to select candidate endophytes for their potential cosmetic use. In addition, the cosmetic efficacy of the first of these developments has been effectively proven in clinical studies using several advanced molecular techniques, such as lipidomics and metagenomics. This research has allowed us an exhaustive and comprehensive analysis of how these endophyte-derived postbiotic ingredients act in our skin, marking the beginning into a new line of development of innovative and promising active ingredients for the cosmetic sector and further advances in the field of skin biology at the cellular and molecular level.

Presenter Bio: 

Silvia Benito-Martinez works as ‘Science Communication Manager’ within Provital’s R&D team in Barcelona, focusing on increasing the visibility of all the science behind the cosmetic products and driving Provital’s innovation by identifying scientific trends and implementing a communication strategy.
Silvia obtained her PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology from the Research University ‘Paris Sciences et Lettres’ (PSL) in France. During her thesis and research studies she worked for 5+ years in a laboratory at the Curie Institute, investigating innovative in vitro models to address pigmentation
and photoprotection in human skin. She accomplished this work collaborating with relevant partners in the cosmetic industry and thanks to several prestigious grants, such as the Marie Curie Actions provided by the European Commission, and one awarded by the French Medical Research Foundation.

Silvia has received various research awards throughout her scientific career, she won two prizes for her initial work in Spain in the ‘2017 Archimedes Competition’ at the national level, and also for her public speaking and presentation skills at the SPIM international congress of Skin Physiology, winning the ‘2020 Junior Scientist’ award for best talk in the Dermatology and Cosmetics worlds.

Now, she lives in Barcelona, enjoying the Mediterranean life and her new dream job at Provital combining her two passions: science and communication.holds a PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology and is the Science Communication Manager for Provital

Author / Researcher Acknowledgements:

Benito-Martínez, Silvia^a; Perez-Aso, Miguel^a; Escudero Elizabeth^a; Akalin, Altuna^b; Vatsellas, Giannis^c; De Vos, Ric C. H.^d; Rubio, Emilio^a; Bosch, Jordi^a; Manzano, David^a

1. Provital, Barberà del Vallès, Spain.
2. Bioinformatics & Omics Data Science platform (Berlin Institute of Medical System Biology (BIMSB) of MDC-Berlin).
3. Greek Genome Centre, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA).
4. BU Bioscience. Wageningen University & Research Centre.