When applied to the epidermis, a novel DNA-containing gel has shown potential in treating “butterfly illness,” which is characterized by the skin erupting in sores when the smallest stress, even a gentle touch, is applied.
The gel-based method of cell therapy was tried in a short experiment including six people and 3 children suffering from a rare genetic condition known scientifically as “epidermolysis bullosa,” according to the scientists.
They possessed a recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullsa subtype (RDEB), which indicates that their tissues lacked the genetic information to make collagen VII, a protein. Usually, collagen acts as a glue that holds the skin’s various sections connected, keeping the layers from grinding against one another and causing irritation. Blisters & traumatic injuries may stay slow to heal for months or even years in patients with RDEB because the flesh layers scratch one another.
Using a gel-based lotion, the gene therapy is applied to the injured tissue of the patients. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus 1, which is a mutated variant of said herpes simplex virus 1. Human cells are no longer able to multiply the pathogen inside the gel. Rather, COL7A1, the gene which corresponds to collagen VII, is carried by the virus.
As reported by the researchers, the lesions handled with the placebo mended, ruptured, or blistered at varied rates during the course of the experiment. In contrast, once the 25-day program duration concluded, all except one of the sores repaired with gene therapy had not healed. After just a second session of therapy, the residual lesion healed and stayed cured for another 8 months.
However, although this method does not guarantee complete healing, it does allow you to stay on track with the sores. It has a considerable positive impact on the enjoyment of the life of individuals.
The study was published in Nature Medicine.
