New gel could speed up wound healing

British scientists are to begin the final phase of testing a drug that heals leg ulcers up to five times faster than normal.

British scientists are to begin the final phase of testing of a new gel that they say, heals leg ulcers up to five times faster than normal.

For three years, Connie McPherson suffered a debilitating leg ulcers that were so painful that sometimes I could not sleep. Despite several surgeries, antibiotics, steroids and other treatments, nothing helped.

Then, last year participated in a test of the new gel for the treatment of chronic wounds.

"It was the answer to my prayers," said McPherson, 58, a real estate agent in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In a few weeks, McPherson said that ulcers healed completely. "I had tried everything known and it was all worked."

The gel that is used to meet McPherson was developed by a team led by David Becker, professor of cell and developmental biology at University College London. The gel, called Nexagon, works by disrupting the way cells communicate and avoids the production of a protein that blocks healing. This allows the cells to move more quickly to the wound to begin healing.

Although it has only been tested so far about 100 people, experts say that if successful, the gel may play a role in the treatment of chronic wounds such as leg ulcers or diabetes, even for common or scratches injuries from accidents.

In most chronic wounds, Becker said there was an abnormal amount of certain protein linked to inflammation.

To reduce their numbers, Becker and his colleagues produced the Nexagon from bits of DNA that can block production of the protein. "As the protein is inactivated, the cells move to close the wound," said Becker. The gel is slightly yellow and has the consistency of toothpaste.

In an initial study on leg ulcers, scientists Becker co-founded the company to develop the gel found that after four weeks, the number of people with completely healed ulcers was five times higher in patients who received the gel compared with those who applied it.

The leg ulcer lasts on average six months to heal and 60% of patients return to suffer the problem of ulcers.

Other experts said the gel looks promising. "It seems that the gel has a positive effect on making the outer layer (skin) to restore itself," said Phil Stephens, head of engineering and tissue repair at the University of Cardiff. Stephens is not related to the investigation of Becker.

However, Stephens said it's crucial that the gel does not interfere too much with the inflammation process. "There needs to get there, inflammatory cells and clean the wound," he said.

Brad Duft, President of Coda Therapeutics, which develops the product, said he still must spend a couple of years before the new gel to reach the market and when that happens the price will drop significantly. Some patients with leg ulcers spend about $ 30,000 a year or more treatments. Duft said the new gel cost a fraction of that.

Thanks to PrensaLatinaVG