Sophia Shelanski

Director Of Operations, Product Investigations Inc.

Sophia Shelanski is a clinical research scientist at Product Investigations Incorporated (PII), where she oversees laboratory operations. She earned her bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and has been involved in clinical research since she graduated in 2011. Using her entrepreneurial spirit, she excels in problem solving and applying innovative solutions while optimizing resources.  Attentive to detail, Sophia reigns as the go-to-girl for highly critical, complex, and sensitive situations.  She is currently experimenting with a number of skin bioengineering techniques and the ways in which they may be applied to the woven and nonwoven industries.  Particularly interested in consumer product safety, she has done extensive research on regulatory framework for medical devices and cosmetics, and has recently joined INDA's Standards Committee.

Textiles and the Skin: Human Testing for Product Safety and Clinical Performance

Anything that touches human skin has the potential to have a positive or negative effect. How does your fabric or chemical interact with the skin? How do you demonstrate clinical safety and efficacy? What is biocompatibility testing anyway? In this presentation, we will aim to dismantle the 'human testing' taboo while we discuss clinical safety measures including standards and regulations and how they relate to the woven and non-woven industry. Additionally, we will briefly share some relevant non invasive skin measuring techniques, and how they may be applied to the textile industry to support product claims and demonstrate product superiority.