New trials offer treatment hope

Click here to view Channel 4's news item broadcast on 19 April 2009

There have been promising results from trials of a new kind of treatment which offers hope to people with EB and, in particular, those with the Recessive Dystrophic form of EB (RDEB).

This new treatment aims to strengthen the skin and the trials involve an injection of normal skin cells from donors who are able to make collagen type VII, which is either missing or faulty in the skin of people with RDEB. Recessive Dystrophic EB is one of the most severe forms of EB, resulting in scarring, fusion of fingers and wastage of skin tissue.

Professor John McGrath, at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital London has so far treated eight patients, and of the five whose condition can be evaluated at this time, all show rapid wound healing, and a reduced tendency to blister. Professor McGrath said: "This is the most meaningful clinical intervention I have done in a long time - it is nothing short of remarkable. Some forms of EB can be very debilitating and there is a high unmet medical need for an effective treatment."

Ben Merrett, CEO of DebRA, added: "The results reported by Professor John McGrath are very exciting and DebRA is delighted to see the years of his painstaking research being translated into treatments that may offer real benefits in improved health and quality of life for people with EB. This has always been our ultimate goal. Professor John McGrath was one of DebRA's first ‘Clinical Research Fellows' at an early stage of his career, and it is very pleasing to see his tremendous commitment coming to fruition. There is more work to be done but this is a remarkable step forward."

Click here to view Channel 4's news item broadcast on 19 April 2009