• Knowledge Transfer Partnership will add immune cells to 3D lab-grown human skin
• Project will support research into important medical challenges such as wound healing and inflammation
• Collaboration aims to support early testing of new treatments while developing non-animal methods for research.

Aston University has joined forces with Yorkshire-based biotechnology company Labskin to develop more realistic laboratory-grown human skin that includes immune cells.

Labskin specialises in producing complex skin models that closely replicate the structure of real skin. These models – which come in thumbnail-sized sections around 1cm thick – are used by academic researchers and companies to study how products and treatments interact with the skin before they are trialled in people. However, while the models accurately reproduce the skin’s physical layers, they do not currently include immune cells, which play a crucial role in inflammation and wound healing.

Under the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), researchers from Aston’s Department of Biosciences will work with Labskin to introduce immune cells called macrophages into the company’s existing skin models. This will make the models more representative of real human skin and more useful for studying conditions such as chronic wounds and inflammatory skin disorders. Chronic wounds in particular have a serious impact on people’s quality of life, and their treatment costs the NHS an estimated £5-6bn each year.

The enhanced skin models will support a wide range of early-stage research, including studies into skin irritation, inflammation and healing. By providing more human-relevant information earlier in the development process (such as information on how the skin responds to treatment), the project also has the potential to reduce the use of animals in research and to help de-risk later stage clinical trials of new drugs and therapies.

Professor Andrew Devitt, professor of inflammatory cell biology in Aston University’s Department of Biosciences, and executive dean of the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biosciences, is leading the academic side of the project.

He said: “Our research focuses on understanding how inflammation happens and is resolved – particularly in the context of chronic wounds, which are devastating for the individual and create a huge financial burden for the NHS. Working with Labskin, we can apply our research knowledge in a highly practical way and help develop models that are far closer to what happens in real human skin. This is perhaps the most exciting project I’ve been involved with in my professional career.”

Labskin’s scientific director, Dr Nicola Kingswell, said:

“We’re really excited to get started with this project. Adding immune cells to our skin models will allow us to look at how the skin responds to products and treatments in much more detail. The KTP is a great example of how private companies can work together with universities to make a real impact.”

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, funded by Innovate UK, are collaborative projects that bring together a business, an academic partner, and a qualified associate to deliver strategic innovation and business improvement. Aston University is a national leader in the programme, ranked joint-first in the UK for volume of active projects and first for overall project quality.

For further details about Aston’s KTPs, visit www.aston.ac.uk/business/collaborate-with-us/knowledge-transfer-partnership.