Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Two brothers shared a mild but distinct form of junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) that affected the teeth, nails, and groin tissue, a case study reported. While there were no signs of new blisters, the brothers had chronic lesions characterized by delayed wound healing. The case study, “…

The experimental therapy ELX-02 reversed the effect of nonsense mutations in skin cells derived from people with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) and junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a study found. Nonsense mutations in genes result in shorter, non-functional proteins, which commonly occur in RDEB and JEB patients, and…

C-reactive protein (CRP), a standard marker for inflammation, is an indicator of the severity of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) but not of active skin infections, according to a recent study of inflammatory biomarkers. “Our findings identify C-reactive protein as an excellent biomarker for disease severity in RDEB…. [and]…

The first patient has been dosed in a clinical trial evaluating Aegle Therapeutics‘ AGLE-102, an investigational topical treatment for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). The Phase 1/2a study (NCT04173650) is assessing the safety and efficacy of the therapy, applied topically to skin lesions, against a placebo in up…

An altered modification of proteins involved in controlling gene activity, called histones, may contribute to how severe the buildup of excessive scar tissue is in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), a study suggests. Blocking abnormal histone modification with the approved medicine valproic acid reduced the signs of scarring, or…

Daclatasvir, an approved antiviral medicine, safely reduced the signs and symptoms of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) in a mouse model, a drug repurposing study revealed. Data showed that the antiviral, a treatment for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) sold under the brand name Daklinza, extended RDEB mouse survival…

The enzyme polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) may be a potential therapeutic target for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) associated with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), according to an analysis of tumor tissue from an RDEB patient with recurring cancer. The gene that encodes PLK1 was almost seven times more active…

Among a group of people with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), nearly all genetic mutations associated with the condition were unique, which may explain the wide range of symptom presentation and severity among patients, a study reported. Researchers noted that accurately predicting outcomes is challenging because some cases were…

Researchers have highlighted the challenges of treating two cases of aggressive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a form of skin cancer associated with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), with immunotherapy when surgery was no longer an option. One patient, who had many genetic mutations within cancer cells, responded well to…

Gene therapy applied to stem cells — ones derived from blister fluid collected from people with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) — successfully generated C7 protein within the skin layers of RDEB model mice. Production of C7, which is lacking in RDEB, worked best when modified cells were applied…

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a form of skin cancer, was the most reported cancer among people with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), with a high rate of recurrence and mortality compared with the general population, according to a review of 87 studies. Other skin cancers, including malignant melanoma and basal cell…

Skin-derived stem cells enhanced wound closure in people with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), according to clinical trial data. The treatment reduced the occurrence of new wounds, extended the time that they recurred, and wounds that did not fully close got smaller. A larger clinical trial using a control…