Impaired wound healing is a major problem in Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) patients, leading to recurrent pain, scarring, infections and skin cancer. Little is known about the pathways involved in wound chronicity in EB, probably because EB is a rare disease and the great challenges of collecting skin biopsies. We have developed a non-invasive technology allowing us to obtain viable cells directly from wound dressings. In the past months, we have been conducting a longitudinal study in Chile following 15 patients and 70 wounds over the course of one year and were able to obtain cells from chronic and healing wounds from two of the most severe EB types, Recessive Dystrophic (RDEB) and Junctional (JEB). Results from our study show significant differences between RDEB and JEB wounds (in relation to wound area, pain, itch, infection status, cell composition and others), and also between healing and non-healing wounds. Moreover, bacterial wound cultures show that 100% of positive cultures have S. aureus colonization, independently of the EB type, the infection status and the healing behavior of the wound. In summary, our study delineates findings in EB that will certainly influence the creation and development of better-suited clinical trials for EB patients. Moreover, we present a method of cellular isolation that has wide reaching clinical application for EB and potentially relevant for other skin diseases.

ESDR363 - Deciphering wound chronicity with a novel non-invasive sampling technology in Epidermolysis bullosa patients

50th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research. VIRTUAL MEETING