PKDERM SAS

PKDERM is an independent French contract research organisation. We measure the efficacy and safety of your products on human tissue, without animal testing.

 Founded in 2018 in Sophia-Antipolis, we work across two organs — skin and lung — which few organisations of our size do. The same compound can be followed from 2D cultures, through 3D reconstructed models, to ex vivo human skin and human precision-cut lung slices, inside one programme, with one team and one reporting format.

 SKIN

 Ex vivo human skin explants and in vitro permeation testing (IVPT) on Franz cells, designed against OECD TG 428 and Guidance Document 28. Barrier integrity is verified by TEWL before dosing, and we report full mass balance: surface wash, tape stripping, epidermis, dermis and receptor fluid.

 Damaged and compromised skin is a speciality. Barrier disruption by tape stripping, abrasion, microneedling or SDS, always against the intact control from the same donor. These models are characterised in a peer-reviewed paper: Barthe M. et al., Frontiers in Medicine 2024;11:1481645.

 We also run reconstructed human epidermis, full-thickness T-Skin, MelanoDerm pigmented epidermis, EpiVaginal reconstructed mucosa, and 2D cultures of primary keratinocytes, fibroblasts and melanocytes. Endpoints cover inflammation, pigmentation, matrix remodelling, hydration, wound healing, barrier function and anti-aging. Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis can be induced on the models, with paired controls, when a claim concerns compromised skin.

LUNG

 Human precision-cut lung slices (hPCLS), 300 µm, prepared from surgical tissue supplied by our hospital and biobank partners under ethical approval. The slices keep their native alveolar architecture, extracellular matrix and full resident cell population, including resident immune cells.

 Submerged hPCLS culture is usually reported as limited to 7-14 days. Across three donors, our slices stay metabolically active for 28 days in both submerged and air-liquid interface culture, with comparable values at every timepoint. The two formats are complementary: submerged for test items in solution, air-liquid interface for nebulised or aerosolised items applied to the apical surface. Either way, chronic stimulation, repeated dosing and reversal designs become possible: establish the fibrotic programme first, then treat it.

 Fibrosis: a defined pro-fibrotic cocktail induces COL1A1, COL3A1, FN1 and LRRC15. LRRC15 was induced in 6 of 6 donors, 3.2 to 19.3-fold.

 Inflammation: LPS and Poly I:C induce IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and TSLP without loss of viability, and dexamethasone suppresses 61 to 77% of LPS-induced IL-8.

 Inhaled products are dosed as an aerosol onto reconstructed human airway epithelium under our patented in vitro airways nebulization assay, the way they reach a patient. Primary lung fibroblasts and Calu-3 are also available.

 HOW WE WORK

 Protocols and acceptance criteria are agreed with you before a study starts. Where donor variability matters, we use paired designs — treated and untreated tissue from the same donor — rather than pooling, so real human heterogeneity is measured rather than averaged away. Reports are written for your regulatory or claim file, and we say plainly what a model can and cannot answer.

 Read-outs: RT-qPCR, whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq with our partner, ELISA and multiplex, histology and immunostaining, live-cell imaging. LC-MS/MS at qualified partner laboratories, or liquid scintillation counting for radiolabelled items.

 CREDENTIALS

 Two European patents held by PKDERM: EP-3922714 on a 3D skin model of coronavirus infection, and EP-4186547 on our in vitro airways nebulization assay. Over 30 peer-reviewed publications, more than a dozen since PKDERM was created. We contributed the human precision-cut lung slice work in Matralis A.N. et al., Cell Reports Medicine 2026;7:102778, on an inhaled antifibrotic candidate. The air–liquid interface platform is co-funded by the European Union (ERDF, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Programme 2021-2027).

 WE WOULD LIKE TO MEET

Pharmaceutical companies with dermatology or respiratory pipelines, including inhaled and topical products. Transdermal and microneedle developers. Cosmetics, quasi-drug and personal care companies needing claim substantiation without animal testing. Groups developing microphysiological systems who need human tissue to benchmark against. We are equally interested in contract studies and in joint development.