European scientists have sequenced the complete genome of a bacterial species involved in many cases of acne, and they’re already working on potential new treatments based on that achievement. “We have identified this target, and we want to see if we can block its enzymes that degrade tissues, and also block enzymes that interact with the immune system,” said Holger Brüggemann, lead author of a report on the sequencing in the July 30 issue of Science. He took part in the research at the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, and now is a postdoctoral fellow at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
