About Phenion

Advanced biological methods are used to thoroughly investigate aspects such as the effect of raw materials on the epidermis and the dermis, i.e. the connective tissue, of the human skin so that innovative formulations can be developed. This is one of the basic prerequisites for successful product innovations. 

The scientists behind Phenion build an interdisciplinary team, uniting long-standing knowledge in the fields of cell biology, material sciences, chemistry, toxicology and tissue engineering.

They are strongly committed to the 3R principles – the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal tests (Russell & Burch, 1959), with a special focus on the third R, the complete replacement of animal experiments by in vitro methods.

We are active members in various associations, e.g. the Euopean Cosmetics Association (Cosmetics Europe), the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) and in the In Vitro Testing Industrial Platform (IVTIP), all dedicated to the development, regulatory acceptance and dissemination of alternatives to animal testings.

In the light of the European Legislations ‏(e.g. REACH or the EU Cosmetics Directive), which foster or even demand alternatives to animal testing, Phenion provides solutions for generating regulatory accepted data for toxicological assessments. 

Phenion is a synonym for more than 15 years of state-of-the-art expertise in the areas of

• tissue engineering
• development of alternatives to animal testing
• in vitro research.

For many years, our scientists have laid emphasis on the development of in vitro test methods, which are based on 3-dimensional human tissue models.

We have developed the Phenion Full-Thickness (FT) Skin Model, a bioartificial 3-dimensional human skin equivalent based on an IP-protected collagen matrix. Consisting of both an epidermis and a dermis filled with newly synthesized extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins like collagen and elastin, this skin model is ideally suited for e.g. dermatological and cosmetic research or toxicology studies. Both, keratinocytes and fibroblasts, which build up the different compartments of the skin model, are of human origin. Based on this characteristic, in combination with our sophisticated culture process, the Phenion FT Skin Model features morphological as well as physiological equivalence with native human skin.

The FT skin model has been used in a multitude of different projects in Europe and the USA. Thereby it has gained reputation by our customers as one of the best-designed and most versatile full-thickness skin equivalents currently available.

Our second 3D full-thickness equivalent, the AGED skin model, mimics aged human skin on a structural and physiological basis and is therefore an excellent tool to conduct research on molecular ageing mechanisms.

Only recently the Phenion team, in concert with renowned international experts, has developed the 3D Skin Comet assay, a new genotoxicity test method to identify potential mutagens in vitro. It allows to detect both structural DNA damages and other lesions, which eventually may give rise to gene mutations. The 3D Skin Comet assay, built on the Phenion FT Skin Model, shows an excellent predictivity which makes it a well-suited method to supplement existing in vitro test batteries or to follow-up initial positive findings. Is has been successfully validated, the prerequisite for official regulatory acceptance, its adoption into an OECD test guideline and eventually its use for safety assessment of chemicals, e. g. in the framework of REACH.