Applicability of a Dual-Arm Robotic System for Automated Downstream Analysis of Epidermal Models

Reconstructed human epidermis mimics the architecture of human epidermis, and can thus be used as an alter-native to animal models in cosmetic industry, toxicology, and dermatological research. An essential quality cri-terion of thesein vitromodels is a high barrier function that is assessed by applying detergents in differentconcentrations or for different timeframes to the surface of the models to derive IC-50 or ET-50 values.Being a complex procedure, these assays are currently conducted manually, requiring significant employmentof labor, and lead to increased variability between different tests. Here, we show that ET-50 testing can be au-tomated by using a dual-arm robotic system. The advantage of this robotic system is that it allows high flexibilityin lab automation because of its capability to use standard laboratory equipment. To compare manual and auto-mated testing, both processes were performed in parallel. An ET-50 value of 5.58 hours was obtained from man-ual testing. In comparison, ET-50 value of automated assessment was determined as 5.29 hours. This clearlydemonstrates that both assays resulted in concordant ET-50 values for the employed reconstructed epidermis,and thus transfer of the manual protocol to automated testing was successful.