Devices and methods for profiling microbiota of skin

A microbe profiling device comprising:

• a device head including an epidermis-engaging component and one or more fluid conduits, the device head configured to dislodge at least one type of microbe from a skin surface of an individual;
• a hand-held housing, at least a portion of the hand-held housing defining an opening aligned with the one or more fluid conduits of the device head and including
• a vacuum chamber connected to the device head through the opening defined by the hand-held housing, the vacuum chamber positioned to pull fluid and the at least one type of microbe dislodged from the skin surface of the individual through the one or more fluid conduits and into the vacuum chamber;
• a motor operably coupled to at least one motivatable component, the motor including circuitry to drive the at least one motivatable component;
• a substrate disposed in relation to the at least one motivatable component, a surface of the substrate including a plurality of signal-generating complexes, at least one of the plurality of single-generating complexes configured to emit one or more signals in response to contact with the at least one type of microbe, the substrate including the plurality of signal-generating complexes at least partially positioned in the vacuum chamber to come in contact with the fluid and the at the least one type of microbe pulled into the vacuum chamber through one or more fluid conduits,
• a location-capture component including circuitry to determine a location of one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual as the epidermis-engaging component of the device head contacts said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual;
• at least one sensor component including circuitry to detect one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the at least one type of microbe dislodged from the skin surface of the individual and to transform the detected one or more signals into a sensor output;
• and
• a computing component including a microprocessor, the computing component including circuitry configured to
• receive information associated with the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual from the location-capture component;
• receive the sensor output from the at least one sensor component;
• associate the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual with the detected one or more signals;
• and
• generate an output including information regarding an association between the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual and the detected one or more signals.

A method of profiling microbiota of a skin surface, comprising:

• dislodging at least one type of microbe from one or more regions of a skin surface of an individual with an epidermis-engaging component of a hand-held microbe profiling device, the hand-held microbe profiling device including
• a device head including the epidermis-engaging component and at least one access window;
• and
• a hand-held housing, at least a portion of the hand-held housing defining an opening aligned with the at least one access window, the hand-held housing including
• a motor operably coupled to at least one motivatable component;
• a substrate disposed in relation to the at least one motivatable component and positioned in operable communication with the opening defined by the hand-held housing, a surface of the substrate including a plurality of signal-generating complexes;
• a location-capture component including circuitry to determine a location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual;
• at least one sensor component;
• and
• a computing component including a microprocessor, the computing component including circuitry;
• determining a location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual with the location-capture component of the hand-held microbe profiling device as the epidermis-engaging component of the device head contacts said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual and generating a location output, the location output including information associated with the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual;
• capturing the dislodged at least one type of microbe through the at least one access window of the device head and the aligned opening defined by the hand-held housing and into contact with a portion of the substrate;
• actuating the at least one motivatable component with the motor to reposition the substrate relative to the opening defined by the hand-held housing;
• analyzing the substrate with the at least one sensor component to detect one or more signals emitted from at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the dislodged at least one type of microbe and transforming the detected one or more signals into a sensor output, the sensor output including at least one property of the detected one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes;
• receiving the sensor output with the computing component and comparing the at least one property of the detected one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the dislodged at least one type of microbe with a database of properties of reference signal-generating complexes;
• receiving the location output with the computing component and generating a digital alignment of the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual with the detected one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the dislodged at least one type of microbe;
• and
• generating a microbe profile from the digital alignment with the computing component, the microbe profile including a spatial distribution of the at least one type of microbe on the skin surface of the individual.

A method of profiling microbiota of a skin surface, comprising:

• dislodging at least one type of microbe from one or more regions of a skin surface of an individual with an epidermis-engaging component of a hand-held microbe profiling device, the hand-held microbe profiling device including
• a device head including the epidermis-engaging component and one or more fluid conduits;
• and
• a hand-held housing, at least a portion of the hand-held housing defining an opening aligned with the one or more fluid conduits, the hand-held housing including
• a vacuum chamber connected to the device head through the opening defined by the hand-held housing;
• a motor operably coupled to at least one motivatable component;
• a substrate disposed in relation to the at least one motivatable component, a surface of the substrate including a plurality of signal-generating complexes, the substrate including the plurality of signal-generating complexes at least partially positioned in the vacuum chamber;
• a location-capture component including circuitry to determine a location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual;
• at least one sensor component;
• and
• a computing component including a microprocessor, the computing component including circuitry;
• determining a location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual with the location-capture component of the hand-held microbe profiling device as the epidermis-engaging component of the device head contacts said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual and generating a location output, the location output including the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual;
• pulling fluid and the dislodged at least one type of microbe through the one or more fluid conduits of the device head into the vacuum chamber and into contact with a portion of the plurality signal-generating complexes on the substrate at least partially positioned in the vacuum chamber;
• actuating the at least one motivatable component with the motor to reposition the substrate within the vacuum chamber;
• analyzing the substrate with the at least one sensor component to detect one or more signals emitted from at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the dislodged at least one type of microbe and transforming the detected one or more signals into a sensor output, the sensor output including at least one property of the detected one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes;
• receiving the sensor output with the computing component and comparing the at least one property of the detected one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the dislodged at least one type of microbe with a database of properties of reference signal-generating complexes;
• receiving the location output with the computing component and generating a digital alignment of the location of said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual with the detected one or more signals emitted from the at least one of the plurality of signal-generating complexes in response to contact with the dislodged at least one type of microbe from said one or more regions of the skin surface of the individual;
• generating a microbe profile from the digital alignment with the computing component, the microbe profile including a spatial distribution of the at least one type of microbe on the skin surface of the individual;
• and
• reporting the microbe profile to a user.