Epidermolysis Bullosa News and Research

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ISTA researchers prove keratin is indispensable for coherent cell migration

Hair, nails, and horns, all made up of keratin, are some of the hardest and most resilient structures in animals. Inside zebrafish cells, keratin plays a distinct role, giving them the strength they need to move together as a coherent tissue while modulating the driving forces behind their movement during early development. But what happens when keratin is missing?

22 May 2026

Stem cell infusions improve symptoms in butterfly skin disease

The intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells from family donors is safe and improves symptoms such as pruritus (itching), sleep disturbances, and fatigue associated with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB), popularly known as "butterfly skin".

18 May 2026

First topical CRISPR gene therapy corrects disease-causing mutations in human skin

Gene-editing tools like CRISPR have unlocked new treatments for previously uncurable diseases. Now, researchers at the University of British Columbia are extending those possibilities to the skin for the first time.

27 Jan 2026

Genetically engineered skin grafts help heal chronic wounds in patients with epidermolysis bullosa

Skin grafts genetically engineered from a patient's own cells can heal persistent wounds in people with an extremely painful dermatologic disease, a Stanford Medicine-led clinical trial has shown.

23 Jun 2025

Tampere University licenses drug for Epidermolysis Bullosa to Theravia

Tampere University has licensed a drug molecule intended for treating Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a group of rare and severe skin disorders, to Theravia, a pharmaceutical company headquartered in the Paris region of France.

19 Feb 2025

New 'spray on, wash off' bandages could revolutionize treatment for Epidermolysis Bullosa

Research into new bandaging aims to ease the agony experienced by those living with genetic skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), commonly referred to as 'butterfly skin'.

18 Nov 2024

New treatment offers hope for children suffering from rare skin condition

It’s a beautiful moniker, but for Australia’s ‘butterfly children’ it belies a devastating reality filled with enormous pain and suffering caused by a rare skin condition – Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).

2 Aug 2023

Rare Diseases Action Plan for England focuses on providing better care and reducing health inequalities

A new Rare Diseases Action Plan for England will be published today (Tuesday 28 February) that will ensure those living with these conditions receive better care and treatment, fairer access to testing and have continued support.

28 Feb 2023

New AI systems offers quicker, more accurate diagnosis for blistering disease

Scientists at the University of Groningen have trained an Artificial Intelligence system to recognize a specific pattern in skin biopsies of patients with the blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.

8 Jul 2021

Hair follicle stem cells play an outsize role in healing skin blisters

A team of scientists has shown that the healing of skin blisters is driven by hair follicle stem cells, which delay their own development in the process.

14 Jun 2021

Skin may help to predict future heart problems

Our skin tells us when we've spent too much time in the sun or when the dry air of winter has sucked away too much moisture. Now Jefferson researchers find that the skin can also foretell issues unrelated to the protective barrier.

10 Dec 2020

Study: Cannabidiol molecule contains more potent antioxidants

Nowadays, cannabidiol is a star component, not only in the world of cosmetics, but also in pharmaceutics and nutrition due to its antioxidant properties and its therapeutical potential.

17 Nov 2020

New mouth spray could help treat patients with rare genetic skin condition

A new spray for treating severely painful blisters, mouth ulceration and oral scarring in patients with a rare genetic skin condition is being developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham.

29 Oct 2020

Researcher describes a new approach to study the process of wound healing

Our bodies frequently heal wounds, like a cut or a scrape, on their own. However patients with diabetes, vascular disease, and skin disorders, sometimes have difficulty healing.

16 Sep 2020

New project launched to find novel treatments for rare genetic diseases

The University Carlos III Madrid, Almirall, S.A. and the MEDINA Foundation have launched a project to find new treatments for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and other genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.

28 May 2020

Researchers win grants to find innovative treatments for debilitating skin diseases

National leaders in research to cure debilitating skin diseases based at the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have won a second NIH grant to further investigations of innovative treatments.

26 Nov 2019

Targeting molecular mechanisms could be beneficial in diabetic wound care

When our skin is damaged, a whole set of biological processes springs into action to heal the wound. Now, researchers from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research have shown that one of the molecules involved in this, HMGB1, slows down wound healing.

26 Nov 2019

AAD honors dermatologist for her role in treating a patient with rare skin disease

The American Academy of Dermatology has honored board-certified dermatologist Karen Wiss, MD, FAAD, as a Patient Care Hero for her role in treating a patient born with an extremely rare skin disease caused by a genetic mutation.

19 Sep 2019

Study demonstrates viability of gene editing strategy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa

A group of researchers from the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, and the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz have led a study which demonstrates the viability of a gene editing strategy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (also known as butterfly chilidren) with the tool CRISPR/Cas9 in preclinical models with this disease.

8 Apr 2019

Researchers identify common genetic signature among three rare skin diseases

A group of researchers lead by a lecturer from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Marcela del Río, from the CIEMAT, the Rare Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre and Fundación Jiménez Díaz has identified a common genetic signature among three rare skin diseases or genodermatoses: recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, Kindler syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum.

5 Mar 2019