Based on its expertise and know-how in skin science, StratiCELL has developed a proprietary TaqMan® array, the "StratiCELL^® Skin and Dermato-Cosmetic Array", to identify gene expression changes of selected targeted human genes involved in some key skin biological processes.

Screening for biological activities with the StratiCELL^® Skin and Dermato-Cosmetic Array

The «StratiCELL® Skin and Dermato-Cosmetic Array» is a Taqman® Array to simultaneously analyze relative expression, with Real Time PCR, of about 380 target genes using the ABI 7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR system. This array enables to screen for dermato-cosmetic activities of a skin care substance/product, or plant extract.

An overview of the screened skin biological processes, analyzed in one and the same assay:

• Epidermal differentiation,
• Skin structure and cohesion,
• Wound healing
• Skin pathologies (such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis),
• Moisturization and skin barrier function,
• Skin ageing,
• Melanogenesis,
• UV protection and stress response,
• Skin sensitivity

Assessing gene responses of the skin after treatment with skin care substances

In an in vitro skin model, following treatment with a skin care substance/product or plant extract, gene expression changes can illustrate how the substance acts on the skin. The in vitro models used in this type of analysis are monolayer cell cultures of keratinocytes or fibroblasts, in vitro reconstituted human epidermis, and skin biopsies, classified following increasing complexity.

After analysis and interpretation how the test item could modulate certain biochemical pathways in the skin, further functional in vitro experiments can be proposed in order to illustrate the proposed effect on the skin function.

Gene expression analysis in the skin

Screening for biological activities with the StratiCELL® Skin and Dermato-Cosmetic Array

Back to the Overview Page on Gene Expression Analysis