Measurement of the permeation and distribution of topical drugs remains challenging, in particular within the outmost layer of the skin known as the epidermis. As the epidermis serves as the skin’s major barrier, this makes it difficult, in both preclinical and clinical settings, to quantify the flux and flow of active pharmaceutical compounds into skin. We have developed coherent Raman imaging methods for the three-dimensional mapping and quantification of drug permeation within the epidermis over time, allowing for the visualization of drug permeation and localization alongside microscale measurements of pharmacokinetic parameters including Tmax, Cmax, and AUC. Coherent Raman imaging can additionally be used for the active measurement of skin response to drug intervention, with machine learning methods providing new and unique insight to pharmacodynamics. This information is critical for drug discovery, the development of new topical drugs, and generic topical products.
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