Exsymol links up with ExAdEx-Innov to explore research prospects on adipose tissue

29 Nov 2023 --- Exsymol, specializing in the design and production of active ingredients for the cosmetics and nutrition sectors, is collaborating with ExAdEx-Innov, a French biotechnology start-up from Nice University, to develop its active ingredients portfolio using 3D in vitro models of human adipose tissue.

Offering a new safety testing method for product screening, the patented ExAdEx technology cultivates human adipose tissue culture for cosmetic and pharmaceutical assessments. 

It relies on the innate ability of human adipose tissue stem cells to proliferate in response to mechanical stimuli within a native extracellular matrix that acts as a “3D bioactive support.”

“These ex vivo models have unique characteristics, including long-term viability, a complete extracellular matrix structure, lipid droplet size comparable to endogenous tissue and much more,” details the partnership.

This collaboration will utlize the tissue models to assess new claims and generate relevant data.

Growing scrutiny of animal testing continues to drive research in the field of alternative product safety and efficacy assessment methods.New method of cosmetic testing
ExAdEx-Innov draws on over three decades of experience in research on human adipose tissue to offer tools for the cosmetic, nutraceutical and biomedical industries. 

Adipose tissue, also known as fat tissue or fatty tissue, is a connective tissue mainly composed of fat cells called adipocytes. Adipocytes were traditionally thought to act as energy reservoirs or as thermal or structural support. But they are dynamically involved in hair follicle growth and wound healing, according to PubMed research.

Starting from human adipose tissue biopsies from donors, the first step of ExAdEx technology is separating a group of special fat cells that are actively growing. At the same time, it breaks down the original tissue into tiny 3D units that keep the structure of the tissue intact, including the networks of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels inside it.

In the next stage, the special fat cells are grown within the small 3D units without adding anything from the outside. This keeps the environment inside those fat cells just like in the body. It makes the fat tissue stay healthy for a long time and keeps it working well.

Combining caffeine and silicon 
The collaboration between Exsymol and ExAdEx-Innov has led to innovative results on Cafesilane, an active ingredient combining caffeine and biofunctional silicon.

The companies tested this solution in an ExAdEx model that imitated how fat tissue gets swollen and irritated. 

Mimicking the mechanics of real body tissue, this discovery is deemed “a significant step for Exsymol in making better ingredients for cosmetics.”

“The work performed in collaboration with Exsymol’s team is a major event for our company, demonstrating how our solution can finally fill the gap that has existed in cosmetic research on human adipose tissue for years,” says Vincent Dani, president and co-founder of ExAdEx-Innov.

Skin-on-a-chip for clean testing
As more attention focuses on the ethical aspects of animal testing, the importance of “skin-on-a-chip” technologies has grown more visible in recent years. These technologies are crucial in testing cosmetics and dermatology solutions without harming animals before they are sold to the public.

These models, already available for commercial use, vary in their reconstructive capabilities. 

Some focus solely on replicating the human epidermis, like SkinEthic by L’Oréal’s EpiSkin  (France), EST1000 by CellSystems (Germany), OS-Rep by Henkel (Germany), StratiCELL by StratiCELL (Belgium), StrataTest by Stratatech (US), and the LabCyte Epi-model by LabCyte (Japan).

Additionally, some models simulate both dermal and epidermal compartments, such as the Vitrolife-Skin model (Japan), Phenion Full-Thickness skin model by Henkel (Germany), EpiDerm-FT by Mattek (US), CELLnTEC full thickness skin model by CELLnTEC (Switzerland), and the Biomimiq full thickness skin model by Biomimiq (the Netherlands), among others.

Advances by ReVivo BioSystems notably involve 4D human tissue models that simulate blood flow for cosmetic testing under “in vivo-like conditions.”

By Benjamin Ferrer