AIM share code: SKIN

Integumen PLC

("Integumen" or "Company")

Labskin partners with University of Aberdeen to test COVID19 anti-viral skin and dental products

Integumen today announces that its subsidiary, Labskin, will begin the immediate testing of anti-viral treatments on Labskin cloned human skin coated with SARS-CoV-2 virus to investigate the use of consumer and dental care products that have the potential to mitigate the risk of transmission of the disease. 

Labskin has secured access to the SARS-CoV-2 virus Category 3 laboratory at the University of Aberdeen to assess the strain "SARS-CoV-2 England/2/2020" regarding its transmissibility impact to and from human skin without exposing human volunteers to dangerous clinical trial contamination risk:

·      Study the transferability of viral particles from materials to skin

·      Assess the ability of the virus to remain infective while on the skin surface

·      Quantify the efficacy of mouthwash and dental care products

·      Quantify the efficacy of soap washing and hand sanitisers

Gerard Brandon - CEO of Integumen plc, comments:

"COVID-19 has had such a dramatic impact on lives across world, it is important to find products that can help to mitigate the risk of infection, particularly, in professional settings.  Labskin is in a unique position to aid the fight against COVID-19 and with the support of the University of Aberdeen, can facilitate testing of the COVID-19 virus on our cloned human skin.  We will study the effects of a variety of products and ingredients in the university's secure Containment Level 3 laboratory environment without exposing human volunteers to dangerous and challenging clinical trial contamination risk.  The more knowledge we have about SARS-CoV-2 - how it spreads, and more importantly, how to contain that spread - the better equipped to fight this virus we will be."

Skin, transmissibility and infection control trial

The trial involves testing anti-viral treatments on cloned human skin coated with SARS-CoV-2 enabling Labskin to investigate the use of washes and sanitizers and their effectiveness.  It will determine:

1.    If the virus is transmissible from different surfaces to airways via skin by measuring its viability when recovered from surface(s) to skin.

2.    Sanitizers efficiency to kill the virus on skin.

3.    The reduction of titer and/or virulence.

Results of the trial are expected in the next six weeks.

Dental practice infection risk

The trial will also investigate consumer and pre-procedural mouthwash dental care products that may mitigate the risk of transmission in dental practices using Labskin grown to mimic the oral and nasal cavities.  Given the widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and reports of its spread to health care providers, dental professionals are at high risk of infection and can become potential transmission carriers for the disease.  These risks can be attributed to the unique nature of dental interventions, which include aerosol generation, handling of sharps, and proximity of the provider to the patient's oropharyngeal region.  In addition, if adequate precautions are not taken, the dental care environment can potentially expose patients to cross contamination.

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About Integumen plc

Integumen is a scientific research and AI-as-a-Service company focused on production and analysis of bacteria, virus and toxins utilising artificial intelligent data analytics in regulatory technology, from scientifically proving the impact of skincare product claims on skin microbiome for top 10 global cosmetic company clients to remotely detecting water contamination in real-time.

About Labskin

Labskin full-thickness human skin model was specifically developed for the study of the human skin microflora and the microbiota/host interactions. Its dryness and barrier function create an ideal environment where individual or multiple microbial species can thrive to form a stable community. Labskin can be colonized with microorganisms belonging to the three domains of life and these can be infected with bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens including SARS-CoV-2. 

Glossary:

Titer - the minimum dosage of any product required to kill the virus.