Gene therapy offers hope for people with rare skin condition

A research team from Universtiy College Dublin is working on restoring a missing collagen protein in patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare genetic skin condition characterised by the absence of proteins betweeen layers of skin.

The condition is often caused by a missing or faulty gene that codes for a critical protein called type VII collagen, which helps keep skin layers bound together. The skin of a person with EB is extremely fragile and blisters at the mildest touch.

The team from UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology and UCD School of Medicine is led by Prof Wenxin Wang, whose research is focused on areas of biomaterials, stem cell and gene therapy. 

This research is novel as it uses non-viral gene therapy. While current available treatments, such as Vyjuvek (approved in 2023), use viruses to deliver the corrective gene, the research team is using a novel polymer-based system – a synthetic and non-viral carrier. 

Prof Wang was awarded the 2025 NovaUCD Innovation Award in April.