One of the biggest difficulties of bringing new therapeutic methods into clinical practice is targeted delivery. A recent study published in Nature Medicine shows the potential of using a gel for topical gene therapy.

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is a genetic disease that affects proper skin formation. The affected people have an extremely fragile skin, which often suffers from painful wounds and blisters. The disease is caused by a mutation in a collagen gene, COL7A1, which codes for collagen VII, a protein necessary for collagen stabilisation. As collagen is an intrinsic component of skin cells, and responsible for their strength and elasticity (that is why most anti-aging skin products always include it among its components), this mutation affects the integrity of the skin allowing for easy “breaks”: wounds.

To learn more about this new development, go check the full article at MappingIgnorance.org