Monday, August 11, 2008 - 10:30 AM
S5
In Vitro Testing Methodologies in Personal Care
Robert Holtz, BioInnovation Laboratories, 7220 W. Jefferson Ave, STE 112, Lakewood, CO 80235
Research for skin care products is continually taking advantage of new technologies as they become available. As a part of this research process, in vitro testing can be a very powerful tool for screening materials for beneficial applications in cosmetic and personal health care products. The screening process can utilize a variety of models, including cultured cells and more sophisticated testing models such as full thickness human skin tissue equivalents. Cell culture based models are an excellent way to screen for effects in a specific cell type. However, full thickness skin tissue equivalent models allow for the topical application of materials in a manner that would be more similar to their application on actual human skin.
In addition to the variety of models available for screening, there are also a wide variety of methods of analysis. These methods for analysis can range from simple biochemical assays to more complex forms of analysis like DNA microarrays. While classical biochemical assays are still widely used as the primary means of analysis, DNA microarrays are being used as part of the screening process due to their ability to provide valuable information on a materials impact on a genomic level.