Korea - researchers develop skin model that could replace animal testing: ARIRANG NEWS

ARIRANG NEWS

Published on 9 Feb 2017

국내연구진, 세계최초로 동물실험 대체 '인공피부 개발'

Animal testing.
Though heavily criticized and more countries are moving towards banning it... the process plays an important role in various research.

A group of scientists are inching closer to eliminating the need for a weigh cruel versus crucial.

Kim Hyesung turns the spotlight on the team that developed a new skin microchip. 

Creams, lotions, shampoos -- new cosmetic goods often mean more animal testing.

According to Humane Society International, over one-hundred million animals, including rabbits, dogs and mice, are used every year in tests to assess the effectiveness and safety of new cosmetics and medicines. 

"Most are only killed at the end of the often painful experiments,... but that could be about to change. Korean researchers have developed the world’s first skin model microchip that could replace animal testing."

The microchip is one-centimeter in diameter and mimics the structure and functional responses of human skin.

It is developed by growing human cells
on top of a silicon material and, just like real human skin, it has three layers: outer skin, inner skin and blood vessels.

When a chemical substance is injected, it goes through the blood vessels and researchers can observe the changes in each skin layer to see whether it causes inflammation.

The lead researcher says the chip has the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for animal testing, while increasing the accuracy of clinical trials. "Chemicals that show no side effects on animals cause complications for the human body because animal skin is different from human skin in thickness and structure. But this chip model reacts to drugs just like real human skin does, increasing clinical trial accuracy and reducing clinical trial time, as tests on animals often take months or years."

The researchers leading the study, a collaboration between Seoul National University and Korea University, say their next goal is to do develop ways to mass produce the microchips for laboratory use.

Kim Hye-sung, Arirang News.