{"id":354086,"date":"2024-05-08T13:39:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T17:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/?p=354086"},"modified":"2025-04-02T12:45:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:45:43","slug":"grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Anna Kotova<\/strong> and <strong>Ksenia Timonina<\/strong>, former York University PhD students, converge science and cosmetics in their venture Agenek \u2013 a gene diagnostic skincare company that leverages emerging technology in innovative ways.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The root of Agenek \u2013 which offers personalized skincare reports and recommendations \u2013 began after Kotova and Timonina\u2019s graduate studies in the Department of Biology at York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A focus on molecular biology and genetics laid the foundation for their venture, as their shared expertise and passion for understanding genetic mechanisms naturally led them to explore innovative applications in skincare technology.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notably, they recognized the potential of transcriptomic analysis, which looks at ribonucleic acid (RNA), which has structural similarities to DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile the DNA testing market may be saturated, we are pioneering the use of RNA biology to develop a direct-to-consumer skin test for personalized skincare,\u201d explains Kotova.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their company\u2019s groundbreaking transcriptomic analysis dives deep into the RNA molecules within facial skin cells, offering dynamic insights into skin health.&nbsp;It differs from DNA-based tests, providing a comprehensive view of the skin\u2019s current condition and guiding personalized recommendations based on gene expression profiles.&nbsp;The methodology is unique to the beauty industry, placing Agenek at the forefront of personalized skincare solutions, Kotova says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The process begins with a testing kit ordered from Agenek\u2019s website, which includes a microneedle patch applied to the skin for 10 minutes. The sample is then sent to the company\u2019s Kitchener, Ont., laboratory, while users provide additional insights via a digital questionnaire. Then, Agenek delivers a personalized report outlining unique skin needs and customized product recommendations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through the analysis of gene expression profiles, Agenek identifies specific \u201cproblem genes\u201d and provides targeted recommendations for existing skin-care products, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their skincare routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supported by YSpace ELLA Women Accelerator, Lab2Market, MaRS and other agencies, Agenek benefits from a robust network offering essential resources and guidance to Kotova and Timonina to scale their innovative skincare venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A future goal is to advance skincare science while offering individuals enhanced skincare options, potentially improving their quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe hope to empower individuals to better understand their skin\u2019s unique needs and make informed decisions about skincare products and treatments,\u201d Kotova says. \u201cBy providing comprehensive insights into gene expression profiles and offering tailored recommendations, we seek to improve overall skin health and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anna Kotova and Ksenia Timonina, former York PhD students, have founded a gene diagnostic company that helps people make better decisions about their skincare. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":354087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[30,28,23,15,24,4],"yfileauthor":[],"qualifier":[],"yfile-author":[],"tags-to-show":[203,156,158,159],"workflow":[],"class_list":["post-354086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-alumni","tag-changemakers","tag-sdg-3","tag-sdg","tag-wellbeing","tag-yfile","tags-to-show-alumni","tags-to-show-changemakers","tags-to-show-sdg","tags-to-show-wellbeing"],"acf":{"internal_publish_date":null,"original_image":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology - YFile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology - YFile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anna Kotova and Ksenia Timonina, former York PhD students, have founded a gene diagnostic company that helps people make better decisions about their skincare.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"YFile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-08T17:39:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-02T16:45:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"phalfert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"phalfert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/\",\"name\":\"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology - YFile\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-08T17:39:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-02T16:45:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#\/schema\/person\/21f3dffe794363be5ece4ec7f538a0c0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Close,Up,Shot,Of,Beautiful,Female,Hands,Holding,And,Applying\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/\",\"name\":\"YFile\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#\/schema\/person\/21f3dffe794363be5ece4ec7f538a0c0\",\"name\":\"phalfert\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea7956d3c5d90a591766f6a4b384c40d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea7956d3c5d90a591766f6a4b384c40d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"phalfert\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/author\/phalfert\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology - YFile","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology - YFile","og_description":"Anna Kotova and Ksenia Timonina, former York PhD students, have founded a gene diagnostic company that helps people make better decisions about their skincare.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/","og_site_name":"YFile","article_published_time":"2024-05-08T17:39:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-02T16:45:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"phalfert","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"phalfert","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/","name":"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology - YFile","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-08T17:39:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-02T16:45:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#\/schema\/person\/21f3dffe794363be5ece4ec7f538a0c0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER.jpg","width":1800,"height":600,"caption":"Close,Up,Shot,Of,Beautiful,Female,Hands,Holding,And,Applying"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2024\/05\/08\/grads-innovate-skincare-with-cutting-edge-technology\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Grads innovate skincare with cutting-edge technology"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/","name":"YFile","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#\/schema\/person\/21f3dffe794363be5ece4ec7f538a0c0","name":"phalfert","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea7956d3c5d90a591766f6a4b384c40d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ea7956d3c5d90a591766f6a4b384c40d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"phalfert"},"url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/author\/phalfert\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":11,"label":"Latest News"}],"post_tag":[{"value":30,"label":"Alumni"},{"value":28,"label":"Changemakers"},{"value":23,"label":"SDG 3"},{"value":15,"label":"SDGs"},{"value":24,"label":"Wellbeing"},{"value":4,"label":"YFile"}],"tags-to-show":[{"value":203,"label":"Alumni"},{"value":156,"label":"Changemakers"},{"value":158,"label":"SDGs"},{"value":159,"label":"Wellbeing"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/889\/2024\/05\/hand-applying-skincare-cream-BANNER-1024x341.jpg",1024,341,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"phalfert","author_link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/author\/phalfert\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":11,"name":"Latest News","slug":"latest-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":11,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":12663,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":11,"category_count":12663,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Latest News","category_nicename":"latest-news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":30,"name":"Alumni","slug":"alumni","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":30,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":255,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":28,"name":"Changemakers","slug":"changemakers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":28,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":182,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":23,"name":"SDG 3","slug":"sdg-3","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":23,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":324,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":15,"name":"SDGs","slug":"sdg","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1231,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":24,"name":"Wellbeing","slug":"wellbeing","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":24,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":242,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4,"name":"YFile","slug":"yfile","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5259,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354086"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":358535,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354086\/revisions\/358535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354086"},{"taxonomy":"yfileauthor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yfileauthor?post=354086"},{"taxonomy":"qualifier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/qualifier?post=354086"},{"taxonomy":"yfile-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yfile-author?post=354086"},{"taxonomy":"tags-to-show","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags-to-show?post=354086"},{"taxonomy":"workflow","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/workflow?post=354086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}