Patches of synthetic skin could deliver gene therapies to patients without the need for injections.
and colleagues at the National Institutes of 午夜福利1000集合 in Bethesda, Maryland, cultured fibroblasts and keratinocytes 鈥� the principal cells of the skin 鈥� and introduced into their genomes the gene for (ANP), which is naturally released by cells in the heart. It reduces blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and lowering blood volume.
They mixed these cells into a jelly-like matrix. The cells in the gel formed layers just like those in human skin. These delicate grafts were then attached to the backs of mice.
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Within a few weeks, the grafts were accepted by the mice as normal skin and had started pumping ANP into their bloodstreams. The team used tiny radio transmitters inserted into the animals鈥� arteries to measure blood pressure. These showed the grafts led to a drop in blood pressure, and it stayed low even when the mice were put on a high-salt diet.
Vogel hopes that synthetic skin grafts could be used to deliver genes for proteins that might otherwise be expensive or difficult to administer. 鈥淪kin is a good target because it鈥檚 accessible,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f anything goes wrong you can just remove it.鈥�
Human trials are still a few years away, Vogel says. 鈥淲e hope to test the graft on larger animals, such as pigs, which have skin similar to humans.鈥�
The team are working on ways to control or boost the dose that the skin patch delivers. For example, Aa topical cream could be used to promote the gene鈥檚 activity, increasing protein production. 鈥淚n the case of diabetes, you could imagine insulin being released at a constant rate,鈥� says Vogel. 鈥淵ou could just rub in some cream to control your blood sugar levels.鈥�
, a cell biologist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the first group to look into genetically modified skin grafts, thinks the research is exciting. 鈥淭his paper is a significant step towards applications in humans,鈥� he says.
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0908882
