New basic research on how to mimic human skin could produce better ways to protect warfighters and first responders against contaminants.
Sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Chemical and Biological Technologies Directorate (DTRA CB/JSTO), the project managed by DTRA’s Dr. Brian Pate is using prominent dermatologists Drs. Xiaoying Hui and Howard Maibach from the University of California, San Francisco.
The research focuses on a novel multi-step system based on isolated human stratum corneum (SC) as a surrogate to rapidly define the relative roles of SC proteins and lipids in dermal penetration of chemical agents, prevention of their penetration (barriers), and decontamination after exposure.
Refinement of the role of each SC component will be accomplished by partitioning the roles of individual lipids and proteins, using standard lipid and protein chemistry methods coupled with various state of the art imaging technologies to quantitatively determine the molecular distribution for agent simulants within the stratum conreum.
This project, named “Human Stratum Corneum Protein and Lipid Domains: Their Roles in Skin Decontamination Intervention Strategy Development,” was funded via a DTRA Broad Agency Announcement.
Source: Adapted from DVIDS, JSTO In the News by Dr. Brian Pate
