LEO Pharma A/S and FibroTx LLC Enter Partnership to Explore Non-Invasive Skin Test Technology

LEO Pharma, a global healthcare company dedicated to helping people achieve healthy skin, and FibroTx, an Estonia-based bio-tech company providing innovative tools for personalised dermatology and skin care, today announced that they have entered a partnership to explore non-invasive skin test technology.

The partnership marks the first step in an alliance to measure soluble biomarkers from the skin surface of atopic dermatitis patients using a non-invasive skin test technology developed by FibroTx in Estonia. The method can be used to assess disease severity, monitor treatment effects and can potentially predict treatment outcomes. The alliance strengthens the endeavors of both companies to improve the lives of atopic dermatitis patients by developing precision medicine tools with minimal inconvenience to patients.

“We are excited to work with FibroTx with their novel technology that will help us measure therapeutic responses to our treatment. It is especially important to seek less painful skin sampling in patients with already compromised skin,” says Per Sprøgel , Vice President, Medical Science and Safety at Leo Pharma.

“We see the collaboration with LEO Pharma as an important recognition of the potential of the non-invasive skin diagnostic platform technologies developed by FibroTx. The alliance with LEO Pharma means a major strengthening of FibroTx’ efforts in the development of practical home tests that can improve treatment of atopic dermatitis patients,” says Pieter Spee, Chief Technology Officer of FibroTx LLC.

FibroTx TAP is a non-invasive ELISA-based (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) platform technology where proteins are captured directly from the skin surface by biomarker capturing antibodies. TAP is more convenient, more sensitive and more reproducible than conventional protein-based technologies. FibroTx SELF is a non-invasive lateral flow-test based platform technology in which samples swabbed from skin are analyzed in so-called rapid tests that are read-out by a mobile phone or lateral flow test reader, depending on application.