The suitability of reconstructed human epidermis models for medical device irritation assessment: A comparison of In Vitro and In Vivo testing results

The ISO 10993 standards on biocompatibility assessment of medical devices discourage the use of animal tests when reliable and validated in vitro methods are available. A round robin validation study of in vitro reconstructed human epidermis (RhE) assays was performed as potential replacements for rabbit skin irritation testing. The RhE assays were able to accurately identify strong irritants in dilute medical device extracts. However, there was some uncertainty about whether RhE tissues accurately predicted the results of the rabbit skin patch or intracutaneous irritation test. To address that question, this paper presents in vivo data from the round robin and subsequent follow-up studies. The follow-up studies included simultaneous in vitro RhE model and in vivo testing of round robin polymer samples and the results of dual in vitro/in vivo testing of currently marketed medical device components/materials. 

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