Lady Gaga’s Fiancé Michael Polansky Leads Biotech Startup Combining AI and Living Skin

Having transformed Haus Labs from a nascent kitchen-floor concept into an international beauty powerhouse, Lady Gaga is now venturing into cellular biotechnology. Alongside her fiancé, tech entrepreneur and investor Michael Polansky, the multi-hyphenate artist is fusing computational science, advanced biological research, and high-end cosmetics to engineer the next generation of dermal care.

Bridging Silicon Valley Analytics with Dermatological Science

In an interview with TechCrunch, Polansky—whose background spans applied mathematics and venture capital—revealed that Gaga serves on the board of directors for Outer Biosciences, a biotech enterprise he co-founded in 2022. The startup was born out of a desire to accelerate innovation in biology and chemistry to match the rapid development cycles of the software sector, where human clinical trials often face profound ethical and practical limitations.

Rather than relying solely on traditional laboratory stand-ins—such as animal models or synthetic, lab-grown organoids that only approximate real tissue behavior—Outer Biosciences utilizes real, post-surgical human skin. Sourced ethically and de-identified from elective cosmetic procedures within hours of removal, the tissue is maintained in an active, living metabolic state.

The Yuna Platform: Sustaining Living Tissue for Rapid AI Screening

Conventional ex-vivo skin testing is typically constrained to a window of merely a few days. Outer Biosciences has engineered a proprietary biological platform dubbed Yuna, designed to sustain full-thickness living human skin for up to four weeks through continuous nutrient perfusion and metabolic clearance. Remarkably, the system maintains tissue integrity such that 30-day-old samples exhibit structural and cellular vitality comparable to freshly harvested skin.

By coupling this living tissue platform with predictive artificial intelligence, researchers can screen novel chemical compounds at scale. The algorithm forecasts how specific molecular formulations will influence skin functionality, while the live tissue provides empirical verification to refine the computational models continuously. The primary objective is to dramatically expedite the discovery of high-performance cosmetic bio-actives.

Commercial Strategy and Strategic Expansion

To circumvent the protracted timelines and capital-intensive hurdles associated with FDA drug approval pipelines, Outer Biosciences is focusing strictly on cosmetic ingredients rather than pharmaceutical compounds. The commercial blueprint involves patenting verified compounds and licensing them to global beauty brands for integration into advanced serums, creams, and targeted skin treatments. Polansky noted that multiple pipeline candidates are already tracking toward commercial licensing.

Backed by approximately $23 million in private investment, the enterprise is also generating revenue through high-level collaborative studies, including investigations into mitigating severe cutaneous side effects caused by oncology medications.

“Meet Outer Biosciences and YUNA. We are building the future of skin health. Welcome from Michael, me, and the entire team,” Gaga shared in a public statement endorsing the venture.

While Gaga maintains extensive creative and operational oversight over Haus Labs, her integration into Outer Biosciences signals a broader ambition to anchor future beauty innovations in rigorous, data-driven cellular science.

Source