Skin and hair on-a-chip: in vitro skin models versus ex vivo tissue maintenance with dynamic perfusion

Lab Chip. 2013 Sep 21;13(18):3555-61. doi: 10.1039/c3lc50227a.

Abstract

Substantial progress has been achieved over the last few decades in the development of skin equivalents to model the skin as an organ. However, their static culture still limits the emulation of essential physiological properties crucial for toxicity testing and compound screening. Here, we describe a dynamically perfused chip-based bioreactor platform capable of applying variable mechanical shear stress and extending culture periods. This leads to improvements of culture conditions for integrated in vitro skin models, ex vivo skin organ cultures and biopsies of single hair follicular units.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bioreactors
  • Cell Communication
  • Collagen Type V / metabolism
  • Hair Follicle / cytology*
  • Hair Follicle / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Keratins / metabolism
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Organ Culture Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Skin / cytology*
  • Skin / metabolism
  • Stress, Mechanical

Substances

  • Collagen Type V
  • Keratins