Integumen PLC (LON:SKIN) said its subsidiary Labskin has partnered with the University of Aberdeen to test anti-viral skin and dental products that might mitigate the transmission risk of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Scientists will use Labskin’s cloned human skin coated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in their research, which will take place in a Category 3 lab at the university. Work will be carried out to assess the transferability of viral particles from materials to skin.
Also being studied is the ability of the virus to remain infective while on the skin surface. Ultimately, the team hopes to quantify the efficacy of mouthwash and dental care products as well as soap washing and hand sanitisers.
"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,” Integumen chief executive, Gerard Brandon said in a statement.
“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."
He added: “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."