service /ˈsəːvɪs/ Noun: ‘the action of helping or doing work for someone’
A note from the Chair
Ten Bio’s early experience with our anchor clients has had a very significant effect on how the company now operates. Through placing client interaction at the forefront of our priorities, the nature of the interaction between client and service provider has rapidly evolved to become that of a trusted ‘research partner’.
As a research partner Ten Bio has developed services optimized to leverage the unique properties of our ex vivo, full thickness skin platform TenSkin™. However, while the availability of TenSkin™ on which to conduct studies is crucial, it is only part of the service proposition.
At both front and back ends of engagements, the experience and capabilities of Ten Bio’s leadership team adds huge value to clients’ decision-making and planning. I observe a closeness between client and Ten Bio that develops swiftly as the teams collaborate to answer the key questions that scope and plan the engagements. We are not being approached to simply establish if we can conduct a routine set of experiments – Ten Bio is approached by clients inquiring of our team ‘We need to find out or know X, how can we do that?’ So of Kipling’s ‘strong servants’ it is ‘What do we need to do?’ and ‘How can that be achieved?’ that dominate in our early exchanges.
In our two years of operations, Ten Bio has accumulated rich experience across a number of sectors which have need of dermatology testing, e.g.:
- Measuring skin rejuvenation following aesthetic dermatology interventions
- Evaluation of NCEs to combat rare / genetic disorders of skin for biopharmaceutical companies
- Safety testing the use of UVC as part of an anti-viral programme (to include the effect on the skin’s microbiome)
- Assessing new wound management approaches for specialist wound care companies
- Testing of new cosmetics’ ingredients for their effects and sensitivities.
Our senior team combine advanced skills in skin biology and physiology with tissue mechanics to provide innovative approaches to experimental design at the front end of an engagement. Execution of these studies is addressed within our labs in the David H Murdock Research Institute in Kannapolis, NC and in the University of Dundee’s School of Life Sciences. Post study, the Ten Bio team applies its breadth of R&D capabilities and experience in both industry and academic research to deliver the crucial interpretation of the results achieved with the associated data. Ten Bio consistently delivers high value to its clients across the spectrum of any engagement.
The range of tools and techniques that are available to our clients are highlighted in the accompanying brochure entitled ‘Research Partnering Services’.
The main differentiating attributes of TenSkin™ e.g.
- restoring the mechano-biology of the ex vivo tissue
- mimicry of in vivo skin’s responses to a wide range of challenges including wounding
- the physiological functionality of the tissue
- the longevity of that functionality enabling longer term studies (up to two weeks)
are key to the services provided by Ten Bio. However also crucial are the capabilities of the team in their application of the TenSkin™ platform, how that platform is developed and applied, e.g. to provide models of diseases, to address fully the distinct questions of each client and to present clearly and accurately the results and recommendations.
By utilising real human biological tissue, Ten Bio’s humanised approach to skin research can act as a key enabler of progress in the effective applications of the 3Rs of animal testing – Replace, Reduce, Refine.
The team looks forward to hearing from you and to exhibiting the range of skills available through Ten Bio’s services that will deliver real value to your dermatology research programmes. The benefits and sources of value are clear.
- Informed design of studies that aim to be right first time
- More expanded, comprehensive and better results to inform better decision-making with more valuable outputs
- Real insights and impactful evidence on which to design the later stages of development more confidently
- Cost savings and faster to revenues and profits derived from using the most representative and reliable ex vivo model.
The Ten Bio team attended a series of autumn conferences in Europe and the US where they engaged with the specialist dermatology community. We are now planning our presence at the events in early 2023. We look forward to those future in person interactions and to hearing from all parties through our website and LinkedIn channels.
Ken Fyvie,
January 2023.