DermTech Unlocks Skin Research with Non-Invasive Tissue Bank

SAN DIEGO, CA – January 05, 2026 – Precision dermatology firm DermTech 2.0 today announced a significant expansion of its research services, a move poised to accelerate drug development for a host of skin diseases. The company is now offering biopharmaceutical and research partners access to DermTech Stratum™, a unique clinical tissue bank containing over 10,000 skin samples collected entirely without scalpels or needles.

This expansion leverages DermTech’s proprietary Smart Sticker® technology to provide researchers with an unprecedented, on-demand resource for genomic and proteomic analysis. The library of samples covers a wide array of immunological, inflammatory, and cancerous skin conditions, including high-priority research areas like atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, lupus, and melanoma. By providing immediate access to this curated biobank, the company aims to eliminate critical bottlenecks in the research and development pipeline, potentially saving partners months or years in their quest for new therapies.

A New Paradigm for Skin Sample Collection

For decades, dermatological research has relied heavily on surgical punch biopsies to obtain tissue for analysis. While effective, this invasive method presents numerous challenges in a research setting: it can be painful for patients, carries a risk of scarring and infection, and creates significant logistical and cost hurdles for clinical trials, particularly those requiring multiple samples over time.

DermTech’s approach circumvents these issues entirely. The company’s Smart Sticker® is an adhesive patch that, when applied to the skin for a few moments, painlessly lifts approximately 1.5mg of tissue from the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin. This layer contains a rich trove of RNA and DNA that can reveal the underlying molecular drivers of disease.

The technology has been rigorously validated in over 20 peer-reviewed publications. Its utility is perhaps best demonstrated by the DermTech Melanoma Test, which uses the Smart Sticker® to detect genomic markers associated with melanoma. Clinical studies have established the test's high-performance metrics, including a negative predictive value of 99%, meaning it can reliably rule out melanoma and help patients avoid unnecessary surgical biopsies. Further studies have shown the Smart Sticker® yields more nucleic acids with significantly less skin irritation compared to older tape-stripping methods, solidifying its status as a truly non-invasive and efficient collection tool. Once collected, the sample requires no special fixation and preserves delicate genomic material for up to 15 days at room temperature, simplifying logistics for decentralized clinical trials and global research collaborations.

Accelerating the Biopharmaceutical Pipeline

The strategic value of DermTech’s newly expanded offering lies in its potential to dramatically improve R&D efficiency. The global market for drug discovery technologies is projected to grow to nearly $200 billion by 2029, driven by the urgent need to bring novel treatments to market faster and more economically. Access to a pre-existing, well-characterized tissue bank is a powerful tool in this high-stakes environment.

Instead of launching lengthy and expensive clinical studies just to collect preliminary samples, pharmaceutical companies can now tap into DermTech’s library to validate drug targets, discover new biomarkers for patient stratification, and analyze gene expression profiles across a diverse patient population. This can de-risk a drug development program early on, allowing companies to focus resources on the most promising candidates.

"We are excited to announce this next stage of DermTech Stratum services and believe the addition of clinical tissue bank samples offers an immense time and cost savings benefit to our customers," commented DermTech 2.0 President, Dr. Burkhard Jansen, in the company’s official announcement.

With services already trusted by over 30 pharmaceutical and research partners, the addition of the biobank strengthens the company's position as a key enabler in the drug development ecosystem. By removing the initial hurdle of sample acquisition, DermTech Stratum allows researchers to move directly to the crucial work of analysis, shortening the timeline from initial hypothesis to clinical insight.

Powering the Future of Precision Dermatology

The ultimate promise of this technology extends beyond efficiency and into the realm of personalized medicine. The diverse collection of samples—spanning atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, vitiligo, lupus, and skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma—aligns directly with some of the most active areas of dermatological research.

The therapeutic pipeline for atopic dermatitis, for example, is exceptionally active, with a strong focus on developing targeted therapies that address specific immune pathways. However, the disease presents differently in patients, and a drug that works for one may not work for another. By analyzing the genomic and proteomic data from the thousands of atopic dermatitis samples in the DermTech Stratum bank, researchers can better understand this heterogeneity, identify biomarkers that predict treatment response, and design more effective, biomarker-driven clinical trials.

This same principle applies across the spectrum of diseases represented in the biobank. For skin cancers, non-invasive genomic analysis can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoses and help tailor treatments based on a tumor's specific molecular signature. For chronic inflammatory conditions like psoriasis and lupus, understanding the gene expression patterns in lesional and non-lesional skin can unlock new therapeutic targets and pave the way for treatments customized to an individual's unique disease profile. The skin, as the body's largest organ, often serves as a window into systemic health, making these non-invasive samples a valuable resource for a wide range of medical investigations.

A Growing Ecosystem of Innovation

DermTech's expansion of Stratum is not happening in a vacuum. It represents the maturation of a platform built on a foundation of proprietary intellectual property, including the patented Smart Sticker® and associated gene expression assays. The company operates its own high-complexity, CLIA-certified laboratory, giving it end-to-end control over the quality and integrity of the analytical process—a significant barrier to entry for potential competitors.

Its established network of partners, which includes major pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic providers, and academic research alliances, demonstrates broad industry confidence in the technology. By providing the tools for non-invasive sample collection and a ready-made library for immediate analysis, DermTech is positioning itself as an indispensable partner in the future of dermatological innovation. This integrated approach is helping to build a new research paradigm where data-driven, non-invasive methods make the development of next-generation skin therapies faster, smarter, and more patient-focused.