News

Case report describes boy with JEB, two other rare diseases

A young boy in Spain was evaluated for developmental delay and found to have three different genetic diseases: junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), Angelman syndrome, and autosomal recessive deafness type 57. While having more than one genetic disease is not uncommon, researchers estimated that having both JEB and Angelman…

Study reviews skin cancers among EB patients

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…

FDA clears clinical study of ZKN-013 in healthy volunteers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a clinical trial in healthy volunteers of ZKN-013, a treatment candidate for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) and junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB). Developed by Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, ZKN-013 is an oral therapy that can overcome nonsense mutations, a…

Novel mutation in KRT14 gene caused EBS in father, son

A never-before-reported mutation in the KRT14 gene caused epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) in a family in China. The new mutation was described in the case report, “Large intragenic deletion of KRT14 causes autosomal-dominant epidermolysis bullosa simplex with generalized hyperpigmentation,” published in the Journal of Dermatological Science.

Skin-derived stem cells promoted wound closure in RDEB: Study

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…

Phase 2 trial of cannabinol cream INM-755 is fully enrolled

InMed Pharmaceuticals has completed enrollment for a Phase 2 trial testing INM-755, an investigational cannabinol cream, for people with epidermolysis bullosa (EB). “We look forward to the data read-out in the summer, so we can evaluate our strategic options and next steps,” Eric A. Adams, InMed’s president and CEO,…

Companies team up to ID biomarkers for cancer treatment in RDEB

Onconova Therapeutics and Pangea Biomed are teaming up to identify biomarkers that can help predict a response to the experimental cancer therapy rigosertib in people with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). Multiple clinical trials are underway to test rigosertib — developed by Onconova — as a potential treatment…

30+ conditions more common in EBA patients ID’d in study

People with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) are at a higher risk of developing other autoimmune disorders, certain types of cancers, and heart diseases, a study suggests. The findings also indicate that other autoimmune diseases as well as some infections may be risk factors for EBA. The study, “…