TigerShark Science – reducing animal testing with in-vitro skin models

Medical innovation relies on animal testing. Or does it? Planned Fraunhofer biotech start-up TigerShark Science aims to use advanced skin models grown from human stem cells to dramatically reduce animal testing.

Amelie Reigl likes animals. Two of them in particular. “Tigers stand for power and determination,” says Reigl “and sharks for adaptability and efficiency.” Together with Dr. Dieter Groneberg and Prof. Florian Groeber- Becker, biologist Reigl is on the cusp of launching her start-up, TigerShark Science. The name, which derives from the founding team’s favorite animals, symbolizes strength and agility in scientific research. Power, determination, adaptability and efficiency: all characteristics a start-up needs to develop groundbreaking solutions and market them successfully. And TigerShark Science is in fact all about animals. Some 1.73 million animals were used for testing in Germany in 2022. The goal of alternative methods is to lower that number. But they are often unable to reflect the complexity of a living organism. Reigl aims to change that. She plans to launch a realistic skin model that features almost all the structures present in human skin.

Greater accuracy and applicability of test results

“Our vision is to improve biomedical research on skin through advanced in-vitro skin models and support ethical and sustainable research,” Reigl explains. “In the long term, we plan to use our technology to support personalized medicine and individual treatment options.” The highly complex skin model grown from human stem cells is intended to help pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies to achieve faster and more accurate test results that are more applicable to humans. This allows for faster testing of active ingredients and their side effects and more detailed research on hair growth, among other aspects. A single model can be used to study how cells in the three main layers of the skin (the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis) react – a possibility that has not previously existed on the market, and a clear advantage over costly and time-consuming animal testing. Tiger- Shark Science plans to use an automated process to produce the skin models in large numbers inside a bioreactor. They will then be applied to nanofibers using a special method. This will make it possible to grow the models at the air-medium boundary, so the uppermost layer has contact with the air, just like in human skin. The advantage of doing this is that the research findings translate better to human applications.

Further development with support from Fraunhofer

Reigl got the inspiration for her spin-off while conducting research at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg and the affiliated Translational Center for Regenerative Therapies TLC-RT. “While I was there, we saw the possibility of refining and commercializing an in-vitro technology for skin models,” Reigl explains. “We took that idea and got started with the AHEAD incubator program at Fraunhofer, which gave us financial support and access to a broad network of experts and mentors. That helped us to fine-tune our business models, plan the right steps for our market launch, and ultimately secure 1.3 million euros in funding through the EXIST Transfer of Research program.” The researchers also used the funding and interdisciplinary support they received from the Fraunhofer network to further develop their skin model. Going forward, they plan to add models with immune cells and blood vessels, along with tumor cells, which will help to simulate and study diseases such as skin cancer and fibrosis. Reigl believes the social impact of her work is important: “What I find really inspiring is the opportunity to develop ethical solutions that lead to more effective skin research, so they can also unlock faster improvements in quality of life for patients – all without making animals suffer.”