ANTI-SCARRING GENE THERAPY

Inflammation and immune system activation are normal and necessary in early wound healing. Chronic inflammation and over-activation of the immune system lead to abnormal wound healing and scarring, including hypertrophic scarring which is permanent.

• No treatment has proved effective in stopping the process and reducing scarring.

• A novel gene therapy is being developed to address the problem.

 

In the lungs, infections and other insults can lead to Pulmonary Fibrosis with reduced respiratory function, as evidenced in the recent COVID-19 pandemic where pulmonary fibrosis led to shortness of breath or worse. Any infection can lead to the same pathological fibrosis in the lungs, as can chemical and other noxious agent exposure.

• Pharmacotherapy to address the infection does not address the ongoing pathology or act to stop or reverse the fibrosis.

• A novel gene therapy is designed to address the problem. 

 

In dermal Burn Injuries, the barrier function of the skin is compromised and skin grafts often are required to restore this function. While skin grafts are associated with increased survival in burn injuries, additional steps are required to ensure the grafts are more aesthetically acceptable and compatible with functions like limb or facial movement.

• Improving the response to the grafts by pretreatment of a subject’s own skin cells with a gene therapy in culture prior to grafting might improve the degree of healing and limit scar formation. 

 

“Hypertrophic” dermal scars after surgery or injury can be aesthetically displeasing and can also lead to physical limitations such as limited mobility of a joint, as well as chronic pain.

• While any dermal injury could be targeted, novel gene therapy is limited initially to serious indications like patients requiring surgery to remove severe scarring from a previous surgery