Provided are live, artificial, skin substitute products and methods of making and using the same, such as for wound treatment and compound testing, including compound testing for efficacy, toxicity, penetration, irritation and/or metabolism testing of drug candidates or compositions such as cosmetics. Described herein is an artificial mammalian skin substitute product, comprising: (a) optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, a first (“hypodermis-like”) layer comprising live mammalian adipocytes (e.g., induced pre-adipocytes) in a first hydrogel carrier; (b) a second (“dermis-like”) layer contacting or directly contacting the first layer and comprising live mammalian fibroblast cells and' live mammalian follicle dermal papilla cells in combination in a second hydrogel carrier; (c) a third (“epidermis-like”) layer contacting or directly contacting the second layer (i.e., on the opposite side thereof as the first layer, so that the second layer is sandwiched between the first and third layers when the first layer is present), the third layer comprising live mammalian keratinocytes and live mammalian melanocytes in combination in a third hydrogel carrier.

Bio-photonic devices or target cells and cell cultures including bio-photonic devices and target cells are provided. Methods of preparing cell cultures including bio-photonic devices and target cells are also provided. Methods of analyzing the electrophysiology of target cells using the cell cultures are provided. Systems for analyzing the electrophysiology of target cells are also provided.

Various systems and methods are implemented for controlling stimulus of a cell. One such method is implemented for optical stimulation of a cell expressing a NpHR ion pump. The method includes the step of providing a sequence of stimuli to the cell. Each stimulus increases the probability of depolarization events occurring in the cell. Light is provided to the cell to activate the expressed NpHR ion pump, thereby decreasing the probability of depolarization events occurring in the cell.

A method for treating, remedying, or preventing inflammatory skin disorders by administering a therapeutically effective dose of at least one an antagonist of a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor in a pharmaceutically acceptable formulation. The method for treating, remedying, or preventing an inflammatory skin disorder by administering topically and to the prepsoriatic rim a therapeutically effective dose of at least one an antagonist of a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor in a pharmaceutically acceptable formulation.

The screening method of the present invention is useful for screening drugs such as insulin secretagogues having an insulin secretagogue activity with minimized side effects (hypoglycemia induction, etc.). The transformant in which a polynucleotide encoding the fusion protein used for the screening method is introduced, the screening kit comprising the transformant, etc. are also useful for screening excellent drugs.

Methods and systems for constructing a gene expression signature representative of a number of biological conditions, systems and methods for determining functional relationships between a skin-active agent and skin conditions of interest, and methods and systems for identifying skin-active agents with broad spectrum activity are provided.

The invention relates to a method for predicting graft alterations in a transplanted patient, comprising a step of determining the expression levels of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), chemokine (C motif) ligand 1 (XCL1) and thioredoxin domain containing 3 (TXNDC3) genes in a biological sample obtained from said transplanted patient.

Three-dimensional cellular arrays, methods of making three-dimensional cellular arrays, and methods of identifying agents using the arrays are disclosed.

Embodiments of the present invention include methods and compositions for ameliorating cancer. Some embodiments include methods and compositions for ameliorating pancreatic cancer targeting the CXCR4 receptor and the CXCL12 ligand.

A microfluidic device capable of trapping contents in a manner suitable for high-throughput imaging is described herein. The microfluidic device may include one or more trapping devices, with each trapping device having a plurality of trapping channels. The trapping channels may be configured to receive contents via an inlet channel that connects a sample reservoir to the trapping channels via fluid communication. The trapping channels are shaped such that contents within the trapping channels are positioned for optimal imaging purposes. The trapping channels are also connect to at least one exit channel via fluid communication. The fluid, and contents within the fluid, may be controlled via hydraulic pressure.