This tissue slice is a dermal substitute engineered from cells taken during a skin biopsy

This tissue slice is a dermal substitute engineered from cells taken during a skin biopsy. A pulsed electric field was applied to this tissue to help a GFP-expressing plasmid (Green Fluorescent Protein, a protein that emits green fluorescent light) penetrate its cells. After 24 or 48 hours, the tissue was examined by multiphoton microscope in order to locate and quantify the amount of GFP-expressing cells. This experiment enabled us to obtain in vitro rates of transfection comparable to those obtained in vivo. It thus proved possible to create a substitute for human skin in vitro, i.e. a dermal model that can be used in the laboratory. This will allow us to limit the number of in vivo tests on animal models.