Research Projects

The cosmetic products are used widely these days, and the safety of cosmetic products needs to be assessed in a model closely resembling human skin. Many cosmetic products, such as sunscreen, contain nanoparticles for improving texture and ultraviolet (UV) protection. However, research shows that the nanoparticles can pass through the skin and enter into the body, increasing the concern about their long-term safety. These products were tested in animal models to assess their safety. However, as awareness of animal rights has grown, more than 40 nations have banned cosmetics testing using animals, including India, which executed this in 2014. Due to this, there is a high demand for new and ethical ways to test cosmetic products. In vitro skin models developed in the lab are emerging as an excellent alternative, but the available in vitro skin models do not fully mimic the structure and function of human skin. Most of the available models only consist outer skin layer and miss the deeper layers, which play a major role in the assessment of skin health in the presence of cosmetics or any other exogenous product. We aim to develop a human skin-equivalent three dimensional (3D) bioprinted in vitro model using photocrosslinkable biomaterials (methylcellulose methacrylate + keratin methacrylate (MCMA+KerMA) for keratinocytes in the epidermal layer and methylcellulose methacrylate + collagen methacrylate (MCMA+ColMA) for fibroblasts in the dermal layer). The advantage of methacrylation of biomaterials is to avoid involvement of chemical crosslinking which could be sometimes toxic to the cells in the bioink and to trigger quick gelation of the bioprinted construct. The optimized bioinks will be bioprinted, cornified, and characterized to create a bilayer human skin equivalent. The model will be used to assess the safety of nanoparticle-containing sunscreens, evaluating skin irritation, nanomaterial penetration, and tissue response following the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines. The human skin mimicking 3D model will help the cosmetic industry to ensure the safety of the product without testing it on animals. In addition, the developed human skin model can also be used as a platform to test safety of drugs which are administered subcutaneously. Apart from PI and co-PI being biomaterial scientists, honorary investigator in this project is a practising cosmetologist who will help regarding various ingredients used in cosmetic creams, their preference depending on skin type and effects of various ingredients on skin conditions and evaluating the safety of sunscreens on the developed in vitro skin model following OECD guidelines.