In a recent post we described the expansion of our portfolio of options within the TenSkin™ brand, the increase in the diameter of the accessible tissue being the earliest effort made. Crucial in our approach to new product development is that we listen to the broad needs of our clients to inform our design and development activities. As an agile and flexible lean team, we can pivot and accelerate our product and service advancements to address key areas of need communicated by our clients.
In recent interactions with cosmetic industry clients, it has become apparent that there is an increasing realisation of the need to incorporate the broadest range of target user qualities and requirements as early as possible in the R&D process. One aspect of the target user population that we can relatively easily address is a varied demographic. Taking advantage of our network of partner surgical clinics and our location in North Carolina we can offer skin tissue from donors across a wide age range and over the full range of the Fitzpatrick scale pigmentation. We are pleased to have collaborated with many clients who take advantage of this diverse sample pool to design studies to assess the performance of their products across multiple ethnicities.
We would like to highlight an example of Ten Bio’s recent investments in product and service development. This case study is important to Ten Bio as it showcases both our company’s responsiveness to clients’ needs and the advantages of working with our multidisciplinary team to address complex R&D challenges. The experience illustrates the nature of the ‘research partner’ role in which Ten Bio excels with its clients. The client came to Ten Bio with a problem. The question posed was not simply ‘can you do X for us’ but was ‘how can we solve Y’!
The specific question was “How can we evaluate the efficacy of our skin care products’ in providing protection in different climates?” This question shines a light on a significant challenge when developing products for global markets specifically related to the climate conditions in those regions. Ten Bio was excited to take on this challenge following a dialogue with the client that clearly desired to take its testing to another level. The challenge: to be able to evaluate the performance of their products in ex vivo skin in a range of environmental conditions, specifically in conditions of high and low temperature and high and low humidity. The client recognised the need to evaluate its brands in a range of global conditions if it is to effectively address the needs of its customers in global markets.
Working closely with the client team, Ten Bio set out to design, optimize, and test a system to overcome the significant challenge of how to expose the skin surface in our TenSkin™ model to defined environmental conditions while isolating the culture media and dermal side of the tissue, retaining standard culture conditions (e.g., temperature, pH) ensuring ideal maintenance of tissue viability, thus in essence further recapitulating the in vivo physiological environment the skin routinely experiences while on the body.
After significant investment in the “climate chamber”, it was ready to test and evaluate the response of our TenSkin™ model to these varied conditions. Our client, and indeed the Ten Bio team also, were delighted by the results which showed significantly different biological responses depending on the defined climate parameters, enabling the evaluation of not only product performance in different climates but how those products can protect the skin in more extreme environments. Of particular interest were adverse effects on normal skin barrier function in low humidity, where it was possible to elucidate a reduction in skin barrier function through physical measurements such as trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements; significant changes were also observed at a molecular level, with decreases in barrier markers such as filaggrin (FLG), where significant reduction in expression was evident following 3-5 days of low humidity exposure (figure below). Indeed, these data align remarkably well with published in vivo clinical human responses, such as those summarised in a recent review on filaggrin and the skin barrier co-authored by our Scientific Advisory Board member Dr Alan Irvine1.
Our use of this specialised “climate chamber” is continuing as the asset is now available as an element of Ten Bio’s research and evaluation capabilities to all of our clients. Historically, studies on the effects of environmental conditions on skin have generally resorted to either animal studies or seasonal/workplace specific human volunteer studies. We are very pleased to be at the forefront of advancing a humanized approach to skin biology research where our core TenSkin™ technology defines the potential to replicate in vivo responses. We would be very happy to discuss this and other aspects of our technology with any interested parties. We can be contacted at info@ten-bio.com to schedule a call.
At Ten Bio, we continually innovate to meet our client’s needs, helping them to overcome their R&D challenges and position themselves at the leading edge of their respective markets. Get in touch if you think there is an area of your R&D with which you are looking for support. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
- Stefanovic, N., & Irvine, A. D. (2024). Filaggrin and beyond: New insights into the skin barrier in atopic dermatitis and allergic diseases, from genetics to therapeutic perspectives. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 132(2), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2023.09.009
Michael Conneely
Ken Fyvie
July 2024
