Innovative method now routinely used to assess the safety of cosmetic ingredients at the company
In a ceremony yesterday, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) was recognized with the “Embrace: Impactful Connections 2022” award by the Natura & Co. group for fostering, rewarding, and expanding connections with its partners and suppliers.
The CNPEM was the winner in the “Valuable Projects” category for research that began in 2019 and produced an innovative assay involving “human-on-a-chip” technology that simulates the function of the human body in the lab in order to assess the toxicity of cosmetic ingredients or products absorbed via the skin or by mouth. The new test proved essential for the development and approval of raw materials at the company, since it permits very specific and in-depth analyses.
Application of this assay, which is now routinely used in safety testing conducted by Natura to analyze systemic toxicity and carcinogenicity, reinforces the potential of partnerships between the CNPEM and the productive sector to advance science and technology.
“This prize was very important for us, since it allowed us to see the application of cutting-edge technology with 3D cell cultivation and the use of organs-on-a-chip in a production process. Additionally, it confirms us as a reference for this type of development, which can be applied to different systems, boosting the reliability of the results, since it uses human cultures and reduces the need for test animals,” says CNPEM researcher and project coordinator Ana Carolina Figueira.
Human-on-a-chip technology
The new test is based on analyses using what is known as human-on-a-chip technology, which consists of a combination of lab-made biological structures equivalent to human organs that are integrated to reproduce bodily functions. The system, which is activated by a flow of liquids and solutions that imitates the bloodstream, allows researchers and scientists to simultaneously evaluate the effects of a cosmetic ingredient or any type of substance on the body, both inside (organs) and outside (skin).
Human-on-a-chip technology allows researchers to study the interactions between organs and tissues, as well as the effects of medications, cosmetic ingredients, and other substances on the human body. This eliminates the need for testing directly on animals or humans, a significant advance in ethical research and in reducing animal testing.
This resource also offers advantages in terms of precision and relevance of results, since the models are based on cultivated human cells instead of animals, which may differ significantly in terms of their metabolism and response to substances. Additionally, this approach makes testing faster and more affordable, hastening the development of new products and medical treatments.
The technology was first implemented in the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) at the CNPEM in 2015. Since that time, teams of scientists have progressed in developing reconstituted skin, as well as spherules of adipose and liver tissue and models of the intestinal lining and pulmonary epithelium. By mastering this technology, the CNPEM has been able to collaborate on research to resolve technological challenges in the area of alternative methods, as the successful partnership with Natura shows.
Pioneering development of new methods
The Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) at the CNPEM is one of the Central Laboratories in RENAMA, the National Network of Alternative Methods. This initiative by the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) stimulates the implementation, development, and validation of methods that do not use animals. RENAMA (which includes Natura in its network) makes it possible to have laboratory infrastructure and specialized human resources capable of establishing alternative methods and developing and validating new methods in Brazil.
One area RENAMA focuses on is training. Every year, it coordinates a training platform on alternative methods by funding short-term courses administered by relevant participants in the network. MERCOSUL’s Regional Platform for Alternatives to Animal Experimentation Methods (PReMASUL) was created in 2015 as a strategy to organize and facilitate these courses.
In 2022, the platform was organized by Natura and the CNPEM and entitled “Microphysiological Human Systems: Background and Prospects.” The goal was to train others in Brazil and Latin America to develop and apply human-on-a-chip methodologies, through a theoretical and practical course that ran from July to September. This initiative highlights yet another example of Natura’s leadership in the development and application of pioneering methods in Latin America, and CNPEM’s reputation as a reference in the development of technologies on the cutting edge of knowledge.
About CNPEM
Sophisticated and effervescent environment for research and development, unique in Brazil and present in few scientific centers in the world, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is a private non-profit organization, under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). The Center operates four National Laboratories and is the birthplace of the most complex project in Brazilian science – Sirius – one of the most advanced synchrotron light sources in the world. CNPEM brings together highly specialized multi-thematic teams, globally competitive laboratory infrastructures open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects in partnership with the productive sector and training of researchers and students. The Center is an environment driven by the search for solutions with impact in the areas of Health, Energy and Renewable Materials, Agro-environment, and Quantum Technologies. As of 2022, with the support of the Ministry of Education (MEC), CNPEM expanded its activities with the opening of the Ilum School of Science. The interdisciplinary higher course in Science, Technology and Innovation adopts innovative proposals with the aim of offering excellent, free, full-time training with immersion in the CNPEM research environment. Through the CNPEM 360 Platform, it is possible to explore, in a virtual and immersive way, the main environments and activities of the Center, visit: https://pages.cnpem.br/cnpem360/.
