The Skin Barrier Is More Than a Static Wall: Czech Science Foundation Project Led by Prof. Kateřina Vávrová Received the Highest Possible Rating of “Outstanding”.

The project’s findings provide new insights into how the skin prevents substances from entering the body and may contribute to the development of more effective drugs applied directly to the skin.

The project “Novel Insights into the Nanostructure of the Skin Lipid Barrier by Biophysical Methods” (22-20839K), conducted by the Skin Barrier Research Group, was carried out as a Lead Agency project in collaboration with the group of Prof. Daniel Huster at Leipzig University. It combined the synthesis of unique skin lipids with advanced biophysical methods, particularly solid-state NMR, X-ray and neutron diffraction, and infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Neutron diffraction experiments were performed in collaboration with major European research facilities, including MLZ in Munich and ILL in Grenoble; further international collaborations were established during the project, including with Malmö University.

The results provided a new perspective on the skin lipid barrier. They showed that even its highly ordered layers are not static but contain regions with markedly different lipid mobility. Based on these findings, the team proposed a new model of the molecular organization of the skin barrier, linking its nanostructure and molecular dynamics to barrier function. The fundamental findings were further explored in functional and application-oriented studies using skin barrier models and human skin, addressing permeability and ways to selectively modulate individual lipid domains to facilitate drug delivery. The research also showed that lipids covalently bound to the surface of skin cells are not merely a passive scaffold but actively influence barrier formation and organization.

Training and involvement of early-career researchers were also an important part of the project. Three postdoctoral researchers, nine PhD students, and fourteen undergraduate students participated in the research. Two PhD students successfully defended their doctoral theses during the project, and the project results also contributed substantially to three successful habilitations by members of the research team.

Author: Prof. PharmDr. Kateřina Vávrová, Ph.D.
Photo: Research Group Archiv