NIH Picks SciBase's EIS Skin Impedance Technology as Primary Endpoint in THREAT Study
The US National Institutes of Health has selected SciBase's Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) technology as the primary endpoint in a new study on how environmental exposures affect the skin. According to SciBase, the THREAT study will use its Nevisense device to measure skin barrier function.
- The NIH, with the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, will run the THREAT study on environmental exposures and skin.
- SciBase's Nevisense EIS technology will be the primary endpoint, measuring skin barrier function.
- The study involves 80 healthy volunteers exposed to SLS-containing products and synthetic fibers or to SLS-free products and 100% cotton.
- EIS will be used alongside molecular, microbiome and inflammatory biomarkers.
- The study design is described in an editorial in the journal Allergy.
What the THREAT study will examine
SciBase Holding AB, a Stockholm-based company that describes itself as a leader in AI-based devices for detection and prevention in dermatology, said a new study will begin as a collaboration between the NIH and the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF). The study is called THREAT, short for Testing Harms Related to Exposure to Allergenic Toxins, and is led by the NIH.
According to SciBase, the study design is described in an editorial in the peer-reviewed journal Allergy, titled "Exploring the Link Between Environmental Exposures and Disease via Direct Challenge".
The study involves 80 healthy volunteers and looks at everyday exposures, including detergents, personal care products and synthetic textiles.
How exposures will be compared
Participants will be placed in one of two types of exposure. One group will use common skin products that contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), along with bedding and clothing made of synthetic fibers. The other will use pure contactants free of SLS and apparel and linen made from natural fibers (100% cotton).
The effects will be measured and compared using skin impedance, or electrical impedance spectroscopy, as a marker of skin barrier dysfunction. SciBase explains that skin impedance devices send electrical signals at different frequencies and sense the opposition to the electrical flow, which reflects the barrier functional status of the skin.
EIS will be used to track changes in skin barrier function over time, alongside molecular, microbiome and inflammatory biomarkers.
What SciBase says about the selection
SciBase says the NIH chose skin impedance, measured with the company's EIS technology, as the primary endpoint for assessing how environmental exposures affect skin barrier function. The company says the study underlines the scientific relevance of EIS as an objective method for assessing the skin barrier, with potential uses in dermatology, cosmetic research and skin care product development.
"We are pleased that our Nevisense technology has been selected for this important NIH-led research initiative," said Pia Renaudin, CEO of SciBase. She added: "We believe this represents an important step in expanding the role of our technology in dermatology and skin health research."
About SciBase and what it means
SciBase develops, manufactures and commercializes Nevisense, which it describes as a point-of-care platform combining AI and advanced EIS technology. The company says it builds on more than 20 years of research at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and it has been listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market since June 2, 2015.
For the company, the selection gives its technology a role in a government-led research project beyond its core dermatology use. The release presents the study as a possible route to wider use of EIS in skin health research, though the potential applications it names in cosmetic research and product development remain described as potential. No results from the study have been reported.
