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An In Vitro Human Skin Test for Assessing Adverse Immune Reactions and Sensitization Potential

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Alternatives for Dermal Toxicity Testing

Abstract

A human in vitro skin explant test was developed by Alcyomics for the prediction of adverse immune reactions and assessment of relative potency. The skin explant test has a unique readout of histological damage, which ranges in severity from grade 0 and I (negative reaction) to grades II, III and IV damage (positive reaction) in human full-thickness skin. The test has been assessed for predicting responses to sensitizers and non-sensitizers, originally tested in the mouse local lymph node assay (LLNA). Results compared with the LLNA gave 95% specificity, 95% sensitivity and 95% concordance with a correlation coefficient of 0.9. Similar specificity and sensitivity were achieved for comparison of results to published human data with a correlation coefficient of 0.91. The test can also identify chemicals mis-classified in the mouse local lymph node assay (LLNA). Results of the skin test correlate with high or low T cell proliferation and IFNγ production, and these assays can be used as in vitro screening tests for compounds. Collectively, the human in vitro skin explant test can provide a robust, reliable and novel approach for characterization of sensitizing activity as a first step in the risk assessment process.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alcyomics, Ltd., Bulman House, Regent Centre, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE3 3LS, UK

    Anne Dickinson & Shaheda Ahmed

  2. Haematological Sciences, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK

    Anne Dickinson, Xiao Nong Wang & Shaheda Ahmed

Authors
  1. Anne Dickinson
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  2. Xiao Nong Wang
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  3. Shaheda Ahmed
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Dickinson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. SeCAM, Magliaso, Switzerland

    Chantra Eskes

  2. Innovitox Consulting & Services, Houten, The Netherlands

    Erwin van Vliet

  3. Department of Dermatology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Dickinson, A., Wang, X.N., Ahmed, S. (2017). An In Vitro Human Skin Test for Assessing Adverse Immune Reactions and Sensitization Potential. In: Eskes, C., van Vliet, E., Maibach, H. (eds) Alternatives for Dermal Toxicity Testing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50353-0_30

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50353-0_30

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-50351-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-50353-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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