# Biofabricated 3-D skin model for antiviral drug discovery against human HSV infection

> **NIH NIH U18** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $525,536

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
A bioengineered, three-dimensional (3-D), human tissue model that recapitulates complex structures
and functional units of living, human organs provides an attractive, animal model alternative platform
to study human disease and accelerate drug development. Recent 3-D biofabrication progress has
made it possible to replicate a 3-D human skin consisting of both the epidermis of differentiated
stratums for external protection and the dermis containing collagen and fibroblasts for elasticity and
mechanical strength. We have advanced this full-thickness skin equivalent by establishing a
vascularized, immune competent skin-on-chip microfluidic platform to model viral-host interactions in
human herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, a disease affecting two-thirds of the human population
with increasing worldwide prevalence and medical relevance. This human, skin-on-chip system
closely mimics the natural skin architecture and is capable of drug perfusion and immune-cell
infiltration, providing a practical in vitro system for modeling of HSV infection in humans and for
antiviral drug screening and preclinical evaluation. We propose two specific aims in this application:
1) High-throughput screening to identify potential antiviral compounds for blocking HSV infection
using fabricated 3-D skin model; 2) Validating candidate antivirals in vascularized 3-D skin models
fabricated with patient-specific primary keratinocyte, fibroblast and endothelium cells from a cohort of
diverse HSV outcomes. The proposed research will be conducted in a close partnership with the 3-D
Bioprinting Laboratory at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The
collaboration will leverage the resources and capabilities of the NCATS program aiming to greatly
advance the process of discovery and development of new medicines and improve prediction of the
effectiveness and toxicity of novel therapeutics in treating humans.
PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 06/09) Page Continuation Format Page

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9985371
- **Project number:** 1U18TR003208-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Jia Zhu
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $525,536
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-16 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9985371

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9985371, Biofabricated 3-D skin model for antiviral drug discovery against human HSV infection (1U18TR003208-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9985371. Licensed CC0.

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