The BioBar project, carried out in Saarland, Germany, has created a prototype of a device that can determine the quality of graft skin samples before any experimentation is done, benefitting pharmaceutical research and ultimately patients.
- 29 January 2020
We were successful in developing an easy-to-use device for the quality control of graft skin samples, to be used in the pharmaceutical development process of topical medicines. Using this device, it is now possible to assure the quality of skin samples before the start of an experiment, thereby reducing unnecessary repetitions and costs.
Research in the field of topical medicine involves determining the barrier properties of different body areas, i.e. how permeable they are. A detailed characterisation of human skin is necessary for this, but current methods do not always achieve the suitable level of detail for researchers.
The BioBar project sought to develop an easy-to-use device to control the quality of graft skin samples before experiments are carried out with them. Such a device aims to enhance topical formulation development by improving the predictability and validity of skin samples, additionally saving time by catching sample errors sooner.
A working prototype
Together with Scienceneering, a company with expertise in electrical and measurement engineering, PharmBioTec has created a functional prototype of the proposed device that provides, quickly and non-invasively, astonishingly good predictions of skin quality. It is now used daily in the PharmBioTec laboratory. Further standardisation tests are being done to prepare it for mass production. The team now wants to establish the device in other laboratories and further improve it by examining, and possibly incorporating, how storage conditions affect barrier integrity.
Benefits for industry and patients
The results of this project are promising for principal scientists working in topical pharmacy. Furthermore, the device makes it possible to better regulate the quality of skin samples, thus validating the final data output and ultimately helping patients.
The project created two jobs.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “BioBar – Further development of in vitro models of biological barriers for pharmaceutical research” is EUR 743 749, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 371 874 through the “Saarland” National Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Research and innovation”.