Human live skin model

Tissue Therapies has moved a step closer to avoiding animal testing for wound care and cosmetics companies with the development of a live skin model that emulates human skin. Under its R&D contract with QUT, Tissue Therapies has successfully created a human skin model useful for simulating burns and other wounds, and potentially for testing cosmetics and cosmeceuticals.

The human skin equivalent model is similar to native human skin and comprises live human skin cells but does not have hair follicles or sweat glands.

Preliminary results of studies undertaken at QUT confirm that the skin model is useful in simulating burns and wounds, because it grows, heals and behaves similarly to normal human skin, exhibiting the same microscopic appearance and normal healing responses.

Tissue Therapies' live skin model may offer a viable alternative to animal testing for many purposes, such as cosmetics testing and certain pre-clinical studies before human trials.