Screening soft materials for their effect on skin barrier function by high throughput experimentation

Abstract

Some of the challenges in applying high throughput experimentation (HTE) to materials in contact with natural media or tissues are outlined, with an emphasis on soft materials applied to biological surfaces, such as skin. We overview approaches to soft materials development and to assaying, in high throughput, how such soft materials affect skin barrier properties and skin irritation. The efficacy of an HTE approach in this area is already evidenced in the recent discovery of SCOPE formulations, synergistic combinations of chemical penetration enhancers (CPE) that dramatically improve skin permeability for hydrophilic and larger molecules. SCOPE formulations were discovered in a screening program that has, to date, evaluated more than 5000 distinct CPE-containing formulations.