Julia Klicks, Elena von Molitor, Torsten Ertongur-Fauth, Rüdiger Rudolf, Mathias Hafner
Journal of Cellular Biotechnology, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 21-39, 2017
Abstract. Skin fulfils a plethora of eminent physiological functions ranging from physical barrier over immunity shield to
the interface mediating social interaction. Prone to several acquired and inherited diseases, skin is therefore a major target
of pharmaceutical and cosmetic research. The lack of similarity between human and animal skin and rising ethical concerns
in the use of animal models have driven the search for novel realistic three-dimensional skin models. This review provides a
survey of contemporary skin models and compares them in terms of applicability, reliability, cost and complexity.
Keywords: Skin, phenotypic screening, 3D models, pharmaceutical research