Development of Skin-On-A-Chip Platforms for Different Utilizations: Factors to Be Considered

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Dermal Science
• In Vitro Diagnostics

Background:

• Miniaturized technologies are increasingly vital in diagnostics, therapeutic testing, and fundamental biomedical research.
• Dermal studies in drug development, disease pathology, and cosmetic science also benefit from advanced technological approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements and applications of skin-on-a-chip technology in various dermal research fields.
• To highlight the potential of skin-on-a-chip platforms in drug diffusion, pharmacology, toxicology, wound healing, and cosmetic science.
• To introduce mathematical models for predicting physical phenomena within skin-on-a-chip systems.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of skin-on-a-chip applications in drug diffusion, pharmacology, toxicology, wound healing, and cosmetic science.
• Presentation of basic mathematical models for predicting fluid movement, drug diffusion, and heat transfer using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

Main Results:

• Skin-on-a-chip technology shows significant potential for drug diffusion studies, pharmacological and toxicological experiments, wound healing research, and cosmetic science applications.
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models can predict physical phenomena within the dermal layers on the chip.
• This technology offers a cost-effective and potentially more reliable alternative to traditional methods, including animal studies.

Conclusions:

• Skin-on-a-chip technology represents a novel and valuable platform for theranostics and preclinical research.
• It promises to reduce reliance on animal testing, providing more human-relevant data.
• This technology offers a cost-effective solution for research institutes, universities, and industries in dermal and cosmetic science.