The two organisations will collaborate on research developing Evocutis’ Labskin living skin equivalent model.
The project could see Evocutis bring to market LabSkin models for different skin types and colours, allowing it to be used more widely in laboratories for research and development of personal care products.
Animal replacement technology
LabSkin is an animal-replacement technology that emulates living skin tissue and is a high value research and product testing tool for the cosmetic industry.
It is a full thickness human skin model, comprised of both dermal and epidermal layers, providing a completely dry surface for tailored testing requirements.
It can be used to test a whole range of skin care products including moisturizers, anti-ageing products and anti-microbial agents, thus reducing the need for human and animal testing.
The co-funded project will investigate adding melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin and gives skin and hair its color, to LabSkin.
"We're hopeful that this research will help us find improved ways of investigating common pigment-related skin conditions which is an area of particular interest to us, as well as helping Evocutis to develop their LabSkin model to more fully approximate human skin,” says professor Des Tobin, director of the Centre for Skin Sciences, the University of Bradford.
Pigmented LabSkin
Bradford's skin experts are interested in how LabSkin could be developed and used for research to tackle conditions like Vitiligo (loss of pigment), Melasma (increased skin pigmentation) and common 'age spots'.
A commercial use of pigmented LabSkin would be to test and support the marketing claims of sun protection products.
Evocutis CEO, Dr Gwyn Humphreys adds; "Bradford has one of the best records in skin science and we're delighted to be collaborating with them on what could be a major development for Evocutis."