February 1, 2024 — Picture two scenes, one positive, one very much less so.
In the first, two University of Maine biomedical engineering graduate students, Patrick Breeding and Amber Boutiette, pore over the results of some late-night lab work. They’re looking at a protein from lobstcers that seems to be key to the animal’s ability to regenerate lost limbs. This is not for credit; they’re in love.
Boutiette has terrible eczema, and it pains Breeding to see her hiding her face behind scarves. They’re developing an experimental lotion, built around that protein, which, until now, has been drained away in the production of food. Their experiment works beyond all expectations: Within weeks, Boutiette’s outbreak has vanished. Fast-forward four years, add the services of a business incubator called the New England Ocean Cluster, and their Portland, Maine-based company, Marin Skincare, sells the lotion online and through stores such as L.L. Bean.