Method for the Production of a Skin Equivalent and Its Use for in vitro and in vivo Transplants

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a method for producing a skin equivalent—that is, an artificial skin structure—by creating a layered dermal matrix and integrating natural or engineered hair follicles and various skin cell types. It details the steps to fabricate a physiologically relevant skin substitute, including creating cavities in the matrix to house hair follicles or their germs and incorporating additional cell types like fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and melanocytes. The resulting skin equivalent can be used both for transplantation (e.g. wound healing) and as a test system for research and product development.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Skin grafts for burn or chronic wound patients who lack sufficient healthy skin for autologous grafting.
• Therapeutic treatment and research models for different forms of hair loss (alopecia).
• Pharmaceutical and cosmetic testing—evaluating new substances on a realistic skin model with hair follicles for safety, efficacy, or toxicity.
• Basic research on skin and hair growth, structure and pigmentation, and disease mechanisms.
• Developing and screening drugs targeting skin or hair conditions in vitro.
• Educational models for teaching skin anatomy and pathology.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Provides a more physiologically relevant artificial skin by including hair follicles, various skin cells, and layered structure.
• Enables transplantation applications, offering new skin replacement options especially when autografting is limited.
• Creates advanced in vitro models for drug, toxin, or cosmetic testing, reducing animal use and improving predictive value for humans.
• Allows for personalized medicine approaches by using autologous cells and follicles.
• Facilitates scale-up and reproducibility for industrial or clinical use thanks to its defined and modular production process.
• Supports mechanistic research into skin and hair biology, improving disease understanding and therapeutic development.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a skin equivalent, comprising the following steps: a) producing a dermal matrix containing a first layer and a second layer, comprising the steps of i) providing the first layer; ii) providing a polymerizable solution, comprising a liquid and at least one polymer selected from collagen, elastin, and/or hyaluronic acid; iii) adding the polymerizable solution to the first layer; iv) polymerizing the solution in order to form the second layer; v) compressing the second layer, wherein, as a result of the compressing, the liquid content of the second layer is reduced and the first layer and the second layer are joined in order to form the dermal matrix; b) inserting at least one hair follicle and/or hair follicle germ into the at least one cavity of the dermal matrix produced in step a) in order to produce a skin surrogate; and c) adding at least one further cell population selected from fibroblasts, endothelial cells, adipocytes, nerve cells, glandular cells, melanocytes, or keratinocytes to the skin surrogate in order to produce the skin equivalent.