Assessment of biomimetic transepithelial implant integration in an organ-on-a-chip skin equivalent model

In Canada, one out of every nine hospital patients acquires infections annually, resulting in a minimum of 8,000 deaths. These infections often stem from inadequate sealing of transepithelial medical devices, which breach the skin’s protective barrier. While current treatments rely on antibiotics, the prevention of infections could be achieved through effective integration of medical devices with the skin. Inspired by the natural connection between teeth and gums, Professor Cerruti and team have developed biomimetic cementum coatings for these devices. However, assessing their efficacy traditionally involves animal tests, which don’t precisely replicate human physiology and face ethical concerns.
We propose using a “synthetic skin” developed by Professor Sriram’s group to assess the developed coating. This artificial, three-dimensional tissue, created through microfluidics and organ-on-chip technology, mimics human skin and gum physiology without resorting to animal testing. The research aims to validate the “synthetic skin” as a humane alternative for assessing implant integration, specifically testing the compatibility of the biomimetic coatings with transepithelial implants. Successful outcomes could improve medical device testing, reduce infections, and enhance integration for implants, potentially saving lives in Canadian hospitals and globally.

Faculty Supervisor:

Marta Cerruti

Student:

Partner:

National University of Singapore

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

McGill University

Program: