3D Skin Model Assay for ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Topical Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a simple, robust, and cost-effective assay to evaluate the efficacy of topical treatments for SARS-coronavirus skin infections, particularly SARS-CoV-2, by assessing the modulation of key gene expression levels in skin cells.
Innovation Solution
An in vitro assay is developed to assess the treatment of SARS-coronavirus skin infection by measuring the gene expression levels of Androgen receptors (AR), Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, and host cell protease (TMPRSS2) in skin cells using quantitative RT-PCR, comparing these levels with standard expressions to determine modulation, which can indicate the effectiveness of topical products in preventing viral entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional in vitro assays are used to evaluate topical treatments for SARS-coronavirus skin infections, then the assessment of treatment efficacy is complex and costly, but the simplicity and cost-effectiveness are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and focuses specifically on measuring the expression levels of three key genes (ACE2, TMPRSS2, and AR) that are directly involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms. By isolating these specific measurement targets from a broader panel of gene expression analysis, the assay achieves high assessment accuracy while significantly reducing complexity and cost compared to traditional comprehensive genomic assays.
Solution Approach 2:
The in vitro skin model serves multiple functions: it acts as a biological substrate for viral infection, a system for gene expression measurement, and a platform for evaluating topical treatment efficacy. This multi-functional design allows a single assay system to simultaneously address infection modeling, molecular mechanism study, and therapeutic evaluation, reducing the need for multiple separate complex assays.
2Reliability
If comprehensive gene expression profiling is performed to assess treatment efficacy, then the reliability of treatment assessment is improved, but the time and cost requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the three most critical genes (ACE2, TMPRSS2, and AR) that directly determine SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility and treatment response. This targeted extraction of measurement targets maintains high reliability for assessing treatment efficacy while dramatically reducing the time and cost compared to comprehensive gene expression profiling of thousands of genes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary identification and validation of the three key genes involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms before conducting the actual treatment assessment. By pre-establishing the relevance of ACE2, TMPRSS2, and AR genes based on established viral entry mechanisms, the assay can directly measure these targets without time-consuming exploratory analysis, thus maintaining reliability while reducing assessment time.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides the use of a 3D skin model for evaluating the effect of topical products or active ingredients or botanical extracts on at least Androgen receptors (AR), Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors and/or on S protein priming by host cell protease TMPRSS2 regulation in human skin cells or 3D skin tissue.