3D Skin Models of Patients with Small Fiber Neuropathy

This study aimed to establish a standardized in-vitro 3D skin model for adult patients with Small Fiber Neuropathy (SFN) to gain insights into its pathogenesis. The researchers used juvenile, adult healthy, and adult diseased human epidermal keratinocytes (hEK) and human dermal fibroblasts (hDF) to develop these models. Initial models showed excessive contraction in adult skin models, which was mitigated by introducing mechanical compression of the dermal component, a technique previously used in juvenile models. The study also improved the purity of hEK cultures using MACS and addressed the limited availability of adult diseased cells by characterizing and comparing juvenile and adult healthy hEK. This led to the successful establishment of a protocol for creating compressed skin models from adult diseased cells, which can be used to further investigate SFN's underlying pathomechanisms and potentially develop innervated skin models for a deeper understanding of SFN pathophysiology.