Labskin—a full-thickness human skin equivalent—contains fully differentiated dermal and epidermal parts. These parts function as the skin model, which means Labskin can be used to carry out high-quality research and testing on the skin.
Labskin provides users with a reliable, simple, high-quality, and reproducible living skin model that can be used either for applied or standard skin research, or for testing formulated products or compounds from the cosmetic, chemical, or pharmaceutical industries.
- Labskin can be colonized with skin microflora
- Labskin mimics real human skin biome for real-world results
Designed by Skin Scientists
Image Credit: Labskin.
Labskin is the result of 12 years of development work. It has been engineered by skin scientists to provide a living skin equivalent that has exceptional robustness and durability. Labskin has high strength and a large surface area, making it perfect for an extensive range of research and test applications.
Prepared from metabolically active primary human fibroblasts as well as keratinocytes that perform paracrine signaling, Labskin almost simulates the in-vivo environment compared to ex-vivo skin models or monolayer cultures.
Designed for Skin Microbiology
Image Credit: Labskin.
Unlike a skin equivalent model, Labskin can be colonized with the skin’s microflora to provide a life-like platform for the analysis of microbiological systems or the effect of antimicrobials.
Either commensal skin microflora or identified pathogenic strains can be used to gauge both cellular and microbial responses to a product, simultaneously.
Skin Colonization
Dermatophytes (T. rubrum)—Antifungal effect in colonization of Labskin by Dermatophytes. Image Credit: Labskin.
Malassezia globosa—Antidandruff effect in colonization of Labskin with Malassezia. Image Credit: Labskin.
Malassezia globosa + Commensal Microflora—Antidandruff effect in colonization of Labskin with Malassezia and a commensal microbial consortium. Image Credit: Labskin.
Staphylococci—Testing for dysbiosis in eczema. Image Credit: Labskin.
Acne vulgaris—Acne-related infection by C. acnes. Image Credit: Labskin.
Wounds—Antiseptic/antimicrobial testing in wounds colonized by interkingdom biofilms (S. aureus + C. albicans). Image Credit: Labskin.
Enhanced Barrier Function
Image Credit: Labskin.
Labskin is a fully differentiated, multi-layered human skin alternative with a detailed basement membrane. It has a barrier function similar to that of human skin.
The dry surface of Labskin provides a physical protective barrier to the cells beneath. Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) and Electrical impedance is used to measure the reliability of the skin’s barrier function. They demonstrate that Labskin is an excellent alternative model for human skin.
Strong and Robust Tissue
Image Credit: Labskin.
Labskin looks, feels, and behaves like human skin. As its life-like surface is dry and anchored, it can be exploited more easily and robustly when compared to other commercially available skin models.
With a surface area of 4.5 cm2 and excellent strength, Labskin allows realistic product application, for instance, frequent finger-spreading. In addition, Labskin can be tested as one would in the clinic, enduring tape-stripping, scrub-washing, and many punch biopsies.
Applications
- Pre-clinical screening
- Basic and applied skin research
- Microbial colonization
- Product and ingredient efficiency
- Structural, physiological, and metabolic studies
- Delivery and penetration
- Protein and gene expression
Image Credit: Labskin.
Features
- Completely differentiated and multi-layered skin model
- Large size allows multiple tests
- Dermal and epidermal components
- Metabolically active primary human skin cells
- Production of de novo collagen
- Can be easily handled and readily used
- Skin-like surface and strength
- 10+ day test window
- Large test area (4.5 cm2)
- Uniform, reproducible, and superior-quality tissues
- Barrier function similar to native skin
Labskin has been built from neonatal foreskin primary human keratinocytes and pooled regular primary adult human fibroblasts.
The innovative construction method of the dermis using polymerized fibrin to serve as the supporting matrix significantly improves barrier and strength integrity. Labskin can be naturally secured to a plastic insert for easy use and handling.
The entire dermal matrix is discharged by the fibroblasts in the dermal compartment, producing a fully natural and complex mix of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins.
The significantly improved robustness makes Labskin suitable for various sampling procedures and standard applications. This allows it to be used in a wider range of applications when compared to other models.