Reducing animal testing with human skin tissue

Ex vivi human skin models as an alternative to animal testing: picto rabbit

Legal restrictions on animal testing

Animal experiments have been widely used to conduct toxicity and safety tests and develop new pharmaceutical, chemical or cosmetic products. However, increasing awareness of the fate of laboratory animals has encouraged lawmakers to restrict the use of animals during testing procedures:

the ban on animal experiments to test cosmetic products
the Three R principle on the reduction of animal experiments
the OECD guidelines on the use of alternative testing methods
the REACH guidelines on chemical products

Using human skin tissue to replace animal testing

At Genoskin we provide alternatives to animal testing by using human skin tissue to create animal-component-free (ACF) / xeno-free (XF) innovative test models and avoid animal testing. The skin is collected after cosmetic surgery procedures with the informed consent of the donor. We are convinced that the use of human skin tissue to create adequate human skin models actively helps to reduce animal testing while allowing science and industries to move forward at the same time. Genoskin’s human skin models use residual human skin tissue and are perfectly designed to:

replace in vivo animal experiments on skin toxicity and efficacy

cross the bridge between in vitro and in vivo clinical testing by providing adequate skin models using real human skin tissue

Legal authorizations to use human skin tissue

Animal experiments have been widely used to conduct toxicity and safety tests, develop new pharmaceutical, chemical or cosmetic products.

However, increasing awareness of the fate of laboratory animals has encouraged lawmakers to restrict the use of animals during testing procedures:

Genoskin strives to avoid animal testing as much as possible by using human skin tissue that would otherwise be destroyed. Our NativeSkin®, HypoSkin®, InflammaSkin®, and FrozenSkin® models are an excellent tool for the biopharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetic industry to verify product safety and efficacy and develop new and improved skincare and dermatological products. We always request the Informed Consent of our donors before they undergo surgical intervention, such as tummy tucks, cosmetic arm surgery (brachioplasty), etc. All our tissue donors support the use of human skin tissue for experiments and research purposes, in full compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Genoskin has obtained all legal authorizations necessary from the French Government and the appropriate Ethics Committee. We have also established Biological Sample Transfer Contracts with various French hospitals and clinics in order to comply with all applicable regulations for the retrieval and use of human skin tissue for research purposes.

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