# Eliminating Acne Through Photo-Inactivation Catalase

> **NIH NIH R41** · PULSETHERA CORPORATION · 2021 · $250,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Acne vulgaris is a skin inflammatory condition affecting 80% of young adults and can frequently induce
permanent disfigurement even with appropriate treatment. Acne is caused by C. acnes in the setting of hormonal
changes and sebum induction that accompany adolescence. The mainstay of therapeutics consist of eradicating
C. acnes and reducing inflammation. However, treatment is prolonged (usually 4-8 weeks in duration) and has
been associated in recent years with the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Resistance to two first line antibiotics
clindamycin and erythromycin currently stands at 30-50%. This severe situation highlights an unmet need for
novel and more effective treatment options. This phase I STTR proposal, through a partnership between the
George Liu lab and Pulsethera Inc, aims to amplify these initial findings and to design a prototype for treatment
of multi-drug resistant acne infections. The PI Ji-Xin Cheng (PhD) is an expert of Biophotonics. The co-PI George
Liu (MD PhD) is a pioneer in the study of chromophores including catalase in bacteria and was the first to uncover
staphyloxanthin’s anti-oxidant property in S. aureus. Liu and Cheng have an ongoing collaboration in developing
novel antimicrobial phototherapies (Science Advances, 2020, 7:1903117). A recent collaboration between
George Liu lab at UCSD and Ji-Xin Cheng lab at Boston University found that catalase, naturally expressed in a
broad spectrum of bacterial (both gram-negative and gram-positive) and fungal species, can be inactivated by a
blue light LED and more effectively by pulsed blue light (manuscript in prep). Consequently, we have observed
that photo-inactivation of catalase effectively sensitizes pathogens including C. acne to very low concentration
of hydrogen peroxide. The team’s central hypothesis is that photo-inactivation of catalase is able to sensitize C.
acne pathogens to ROS-producing immune cells and antimicrobial agents. To test this hypothesis, we will first
develop a catalase photo-inactivation prototype and validate its efficiency in killing C. acne in synergy with
hydrogen peroxide (aim 1). We will then determine the efficacy of catalase photo-inactivation coupled with
peroxide in the treatment of acne in vivo in an animal model (aim 2). By accomplishing the proposed studies, it
is our expectation that accelerated elimination of the pro-inflammatory C. acnes will lead to improved outcome
and obviate the need for long courses of antibiotics that are the cause of antibiotic resistance.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10256426
- **Project number:** 1R41AR079349-01
- **Recipient organization:** PULSETHERA CORPORATION
- **Principal Investigator:** George Y Liu
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $250,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-24 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10256426

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10256426, Eliminating Acne Through Photo-Inactivation Catalase (1R41AR079349-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10256426. Licensed CC0.

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