06.06.13
• GERMANY: Beiersdorf’s new method of skin analysis, called Maldi Imaging, combines chemical, physical and image analysis techniques to yield new information about skin biology.
“With Maldi Imaging hundreds of the substances that make up the skin-like proteins and lipids can be simultaneously captured in a measurement. This makes it possible to precisely map the composition and condition of the layers of the skin,” said Bernd Enthaler, a food chemist at the company.
If healthy and problem skin samples are compared using the method, biomarkers associated with the different skin conditions can be recognized on a molecular level and their distribution can be represented in an image, according to the company.
Furthermore, the newly developed method is not just limited to the comparison of two skin samples, up to 100 skin tissue samples can be compared with one another in one experiment, according to Enthaler.
By understanding the metabolic processes in various skin conditions new starting points can be determined for targeted skin treatment. Through the imaging of the biomarkers it might also be possible to evaluate the success of the treatment directly in the skin sample itself. “The method opens up new possibilities for analyzing skin samples. It will help us to increase our knowledge of the skin and to use this knowledge for the development of innovative skin care products.”
The findings of Enthaler’s doctoral thesis were published Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.
“With Maldi Imaging hundreds of the substances that make up the skin-like proteins and lipids can be simultaneously captured in a measurement. This makes it possible to precisely map the composition and condition of the layers of the skin,” said Bernd Enthaler, a food chemist at the company.
If healthy and problem skin samples are compared using the method, biomarkers associated with the different skin conditions can be recognized on a molecular level and their distribution can be represented in an image, according to the company.
Furthermore, the newly developed method is not just limited to the comparison of two skin samples, up to 100 skin tissue samples can be compared with one another in one experiment, according to Enthaler.
By understanding the metabolic processes in various skin conditions new starting points can be determined for targeted skin treatment. Through the imaging of the biomarkers it might also be possible to evaluate the success of the treatment directly in the skin sample itself. “The method opens up new possibilities for analyzing skin samples. It will help us to increase our knowledge of the skin and to use this knowledge for the development of innovative skin care products.”
The findings of Enthaler’s doctoral thesis were published Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.