MIVO^® Based Skin-on-Chip for Reliable and Scalable Permeation Assay

This application note abstract presents a comparative study between the traditional Franz Diffusion Cell and the MIVO® skin-on-chip platform for evaluating dermal permeation of active ingredients. Using caffeine and LIP1 as reference compounds, Strat-M® and ex vivo pig skin as barrier models, and aqueous vs lipophilic vehicles, the study demonstrates how MIVO®’s physiological fluid dynamics improve prediction of lipophilic molecule permeation—offering a scalable, reliable alternative for cosmetic and pharmaceutical screening.

In vitro diffusive models are an important tool to screen the penetration ability of active ingredients in various formulations. This study compares the performance of the traditional Franz Diffusion Cell (FDC) with the MIVO® skin-on-chip platform, as diffusive chambers to evaluate the dermal permeation of caffeine, a widely used reference substance, and LIP1, a testing molecule having the same molecular weight but a different lipophilicity.
Experiments were conducted using both Strat-M® synthetic membranes and ex vivo pig skin as skin models. Test compounds were formulated in either an aqueous vehicle or a lipophilic mixture (i.e. PG-OA). Penetration kinetics was determined by quantifying the amount of permeated compound at defined time-points, through HPLC analysis.
As expected, Strat-M® displayed a lower barrier function than the pig skin biopsies, and the PG-OA vehicle significantly enhanced permeation in both diffusive systems and across both skin models. Notably, MIVO® skin-on-chip better predicts the lipophilic molecules (i.e. LIP1) permeation through highly physiological fluid-dynamic conditions, offering improved relevance for preclinical formulation screening.