Reconstructing Skin on a Chip
August 16, 2018 | A*STAREstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Microfluidics could fulfill a growing need for alternatives to animal testing for the development of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. A multidisciplinary team, led by Zhiping Wang from the A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, and Paul Bigliardi from the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology, have produced a scalable credit-card sized device that simultaneously facilitates skin cell culture and testing.
Image Caption: Microfluidic skin-on-a-chip device working as an open system (A), a lidded bioreactor (B), and an in vitro analysis system fitted with an open (C) or a capped inset (D). The close-up shows a graphic representation of a functionality test on skin-on-chip equivalents under dynamic flow conditions.
State-of-the-art alternatives to animal testing rely on reconstructed skin. However, these three-dimensional tissue models are typically generated from static cell cultures on a collagen matrix that readily shrinks. “When collagen contracts, we don't know whether compounds under investigation are going through the skin or through gaps between the device and the skin during permeation tests,” explains Gopu Sriram, one of the lead authors. To address these problems, the researchers developed a method to grow skin on a matrix using the protein fibrin, preventing skin contraction. The skin is grown directly in the microfluidic device where the tests are conducted, without further manipulation or transfer.
Skin cultured in the microfluidic device exhibited enhanced maturation of the epidermis, the top protective layer of the skin. This translated to a nearly two-fold increase in epidermis thickness compared to standard skin equivalents. “This enhanced epidermis correlated with lower chemical permeability than in conventional systems,” says Yuri Dancik, another lead author. “Compared to conventional skin reconstruction, the skin-on-chip platform offers better skin morphology and performance, in terms of barrier function,” adds Wang. It can also facilitate downstream assays using commercially available skin equivalents or natural skin.
According to Massimo Alberti, another lead author, these enhancements stem from the use of microfluidics. Under static conditions, nutrients and medium passively diffuse through the skin. By contrast, in the microfluidic chip, a continuous flow generates pressure that pushes the culture medium through the matrix and may act as a “stressor for the cells and the extracellular matrix, which may also activate some mechanically-triggered signaling pathways,” he says. This stimulation also promotes the formation of a superior basement membrane, a “Velcro-like protein layer that anchors the epidermis to the connective tissue called dermis,” says Sriram.
In addition to automating their system, the researchers are currently working to improve their model to better mimic natural human skin. They plan to increase the complexity of their model by adding immune cells and enhancing its barrier function. They are also optimising the microfluidic device by simulating blood flow dynamics and implementing additional microenvironment controls “to promote conditions that will bring the system closer to human skin,” says Alberti.
Suggested Items
Lockheed Martin Australia, The Department Of Defence Sign Strategic Partnership Head Contract
04/26/2024 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin Australia signed a landmark AUD$500 million contract with the Department of Defence to build Australia’s future Joint Air Battle Management System under project - AIR6500 Phase 1 (AIR6500-1).
Cadence, TSMC Collaborate on Wide-Ranging Innovations to Transform System and Semiconductor Design
04/25/2024 | Cadence Design SystemsCadence Design Systems, Inc. and TSMC have extended their longstanding collaboration by announcing a broad range of innovative technology advancements to accelerate design, including developments ranging from 3D-IC and advanced process nodes to design IP and photonics.
Siemens’ Breakthrough Veloce CS Transforms Emulation and Prototyping with Three Novel Products
04/24/2024 | Siemens Digital Industries SoftwareSiemens Digital Industries Software launched the Veloce™ CS hardware-assisted verification and validation system. In a first for the EDA (Electronic Design Automation) industry, Veloce CS incorporates hardware emulation, enterprise prototyping and software prototyping and is built on two highly advanced integrated circuits (ICs) – Siemens’ new, purpose-built Crystal accelerator chip for emulation and the AMD Versal™ Premium VP1902 FPGA adaptive SoC (System-on-a-chip) for enterprise and software prototyping.
Taiyo Circuit Automation Installs New DP3500 into Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia
04/25/2024 | Taiyo Circuit AutomationTaiyo Circuit Automation is proud to be partnered with Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia part of the OneTech Group of companies, a leading printed circuit board manufacturer based out of Bizerte, Tunisia, on their first installation of Taiyo Circuit Automation DP3500 coater.
Vicor Power Orders Hentec Industries/RPS Automation Pulsar Solderability Testing System
04/24/2024 | Hentec Industries/RPS AutomationHentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Vicor Power has finalized the purchase of a Pulsar solderability testing system.