Adult Stem Cells and Gene Therapy Save a Young Boy

When people talk about something that “saved their skin,” they usually mean that it helped them out of a difficult situation. But a young boy in Germany has literally had his skin—and his life—saved through the use of genetically-engineered adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are the ethically acceptable alternative to the destruction of human embryos.

The boy suffered from a condition called junctional epidermolysis bullosa, a severe and often lethal disease in which a mutation leaves the skin cells unable to interconnect and maintain epidermal integrity. The skin blisters and falls off, and the slightest touch or abrasion can leave a patch of skin gone and a painful, difficult-to-heal wound behind. There is no cure for the disease and little other than palliative care available for sufferers of the most severe forms.

Now researchers have combined use of adult stem cells with genetic engineering to successfully treat the young boy’s life-threatening condition. The boy’s doctors in Germany called on Dr. Michele De Luca at the University of Modena (pictured) and Reggio Emilia in Italy to use a technique he has developed to correct the genetic problem and grow new skin.

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