Empa uses nanoceramic stars to combat skin diseases

In the treatment of skin diseases, a method for transporting active ingredient molecules deeper into the skin has been lacking until now. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology(Empa) in cooperation with the American biotech Aldena Therapeutics and supported by the Swiss Innovation Agency Innosuisse have shown that nanoceramic stars could bring benefits in the treatment of widespread skin diseases such as psoriasis or neurodermatitis, according to a press release.

The problem used to be a skin barrier: Conventional ointments and lotions do not allow active ingredients to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin. The Empa researchers from Dübendorf and Thun believe that the solution lies in temporarily opening the skin. With nanoceramic particles, the skin can be made permeable in the short term and active ingredient molecules can reach the area of the body where they are most effective more quickly.

Specifically, the focus is on treatment with so-called siRNA molecules (small interfering RNA) in modern therapies. Drugs with this mechanism of action already exist for some metabolic disorders and hereditary diseases.

As part of the Starcure project, the researchers have produced nanoceramic particles curved at a precise angle to introduce the molecules. "In this way, they 'roll' over the skin when applied, tilt quickly and thus create more micro-openings in the skin than flat structures," they say. They are applied using a gel that only remains on the skin for a few seconds. "The 3D stars with tapered arms create micro-holes in the skin that quickly close again on their own," says Michael Stuer from the High Performance Ceramics laboratory. ce/heg