Blegh!

Michael Polansky, founder of Outer Biosciences and partner to Lady Gaga, is pioneering a revolutionary approach in biotechnology by training an AI model on living human skin tissue. His startup keeps surgically discarded skin alive for up to a month using advanced nutrient systems, enabling long-term biological studies. This innovation allows researchers to test chemicals on real human tissue, accelerating the discovery of cosmetic ingredients without FDA approval. Polansky’s work combines AI predictions with experimental data from living tissue, creating a closed-loop system that outperforms traditional methods like animal testing or lab-grown organoids. The company collaborates with Lady Gaga’s cosmetics brand Haus Labs and has partnerships in pharmaceutical research. Outer Biosciences aims to license its discoveries to beauty and pharma companies, avoiding the need for direct consumer branding. With $23 million in funding and 19 employees, Polansky’s focus is on advancing dermatological research through predictive models that identify promising skin treatments without exhaustive experimentation.