Its structure and chemistry evolved to repel water, ions, and pathogens. But with the right tools, even charged electrolytes like sodium can pass through. Our research explores how chemical and electrical methods can modulate the skin’s barrier properties and enable transdermal delivery once thought impossible.
The outer layer of skin—the stratum corneum—is a lipid-dense, nonpolar structure that blocks polar and charged compounds. Sodium, a small but highly polar ion, is effectively excluded. But research shows that both chemical agents like DMSO and external energy—specifically, low electrical current—can disrupt this resistance.
Our interest lies in the mechanics of that disruption: what it means, how it works, and what it opens up.
Iontophoresis is a technique that applies a mild electrical current to push charged molecules into the skin. It has been used for decades to deliver local anaesthetics and systemic medications in a controlled, non-invasive way.
When a sodium salt solution is placed under an anode, the positively charged sodium ions are repelled and move across the skin, aided by the current. The process reduces skin impedance, bypasses passive diffusion limits, and enables dosage levels unachievable by chemical means alone.
DMSO and iontophoresis share a key trait: both reduce the skin’s natural resistance to charged solutes. But their mechanisms differ. While iontophoresis uses electrical force to actively push ions through the skin, DMSO works chemically. It disrupts the lipid matrix of the stratum corneum, forming temporary aqueous pathways that allow passive movement of solutes like sodium.
Understanding these distinct effects helps us characterise the broader range of strategies available for non-oral delivery—and evaluate their feasibility in lab conditions.
“We’re not trying to push against biology. We’re trying to understand where it bends.”
At Dermisorb, we use ex vivo and synthetic skin models to test how various delivery systems interact with the dermal barrier. We do not test on humans or animals. Our focus is exploratory: understanding how transport changes with different enhancers, different compounds, and different forms of energy.