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The topical gene therapy candidate KB103 to treat dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) has been granted PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). KB103 is a gene therapy candidate developed by Krystal Biotech to deliver a functional COL7A1 gene directly to skin cells using a modified and…

Touted as the South’s largest fundraiser for epidermolysis bullosa (EB), the third annual Believe in Brady event is set for April 7 in Houston, Texas. Benefiting the EB Research Partnership (EBRP), the fundraiser will be at Levy Park Conservancy from 4 to 7 p.m. It will…

A compound called rigosertib effectively suppressed tumor growth and induced selective death of cancer cells both in patient-derived cells and in mice with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and mice with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), according to a study. Based on these preclinical results, a Phase 1/2 clinical…

Patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), particularly those with delayed puberty, have a higher risk of osteoporosis — lower bone density — in the lumbar spine than healthy people of the same age, a study shows. The study, “Retrospective…

A case report of a patient with mild junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) with kidney and lung involvement who showed blisters on different skin layers suggests that this type of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) should be classified as mixed instead of junctional. The study, “A Nonjunctional, Nonsyndromic Case of…

Note: This story has been updated to note that the gene that codes for collagen type VII protein is the COL7A1 gene, not the C7 gene.  A Phase 1/2 trial evaluating the investigational therapy PTR-01 for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) has started dosing patients. PTR-01 is a recombinant version…

Madeline Collin, a 24-year-old activist with Gaucher disease, worries that patients like her will suffer deeply if Britain leaves the European Union (EU), as scheduled, at the end of this month. Collin is an expert on the subject. For her University of Bath dissertation, she analyzed Brexit’s long-term…

With each new advance in medicine comes ethical dilemmas, from fertility treatments and newborn screening, to vaccinations, gene therapies and euthanasia. But rare diseases and the expensive therapies needed to treat them — particularly in an age of scarce economic resources — almost always entail “tragic choices,” warned Avraham Steinberg,…

Rare diseases affect about 30 million Americans — roughly the same number as those with type 2 diabetes. Yet only 5 percent of the estimated 7,000 rare diseases known to science have cures or treatments approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Raising awareness of those illnesses and highlighting…

Autoimmune blistering diseases, including epidermolysis bullosa, in children have a better prognosis than in adults, but long-term follow-up is necessary for adequate management due to frequent late relapses, a study suggests. The study, “Long-term evolving profile of childhood autoimmune blistering diseases. Retrospective study on 38 children,”…

The world’s biggest gathering of rare disease researchers, patient groups, pharmaceutical executives, and government officials is planned for April 10–12 in a Washington, D.C., suburb. Some 1,200 people have already registered to attend the World Orphan Drug Congress (WODC) USA 2019, set to take place at the Gaylord National Harbor…

The care and management of a 6-month-old baby with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) simplex during surgery for a corneal transplant was described for the first time in a recent case report. The study, “Anaesthetic management of a rare case of paediatric epidermolysis bullosa,” was published in the Indian Journal…