Scotland University develops alternative to animal testing
Founders Dr Robyn Hickerson and Dr Michael Conneely have secured funding for their ‘TenSkin™’ product, where human skin is stretched to an optimal tension to mimic the mechanobiology that exists in intact, living skin on the body.
This provides a state-of-the-art tool for skin biology research by allowing scientists to generate reliable and safe data without the need for animals.
Dr Conneely said: “The skin that covers our body is under tension, this has been known for a long time. “Other models don’t incorporate this tension, and this is why our product is more effective. When skin is removed from the body it contracts as the tension relaxes.
Animal testing is often a subject of ethical controversy, with many raising concerns about the reliability of the method. Ten Bio’s new approach aims to significantly reduce animal usage for skin related research.
Dr Hickerson added: “There is a disconnect between animals and humans when you’re trying to develop therapeutics.
“While animals can serve as good analogues to study general principles, they often fail when it comes to specific details due to animal/human species differences. These details matter when it comes to developing safe and effective drugs for humans.
“Upwards of 90% of drugs that are proven safe and effective in animals fail during clinical trials. Our model will help reduce this costly failure rate.”