New partnership hits the ground running to help chronically sick ‘butterfly children’
AusHealth’s collaboration with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) Research Partnership Australia is advancing the use of phage therapy to treat children with life-threatening genetic disorders.
Epidermolysis Bullosa is the umbrella term for a group of rare genetic disorders that attack the body’s largest organ – the skin.
This painful disorder causes layers of skin (including layers around internal organs) to tear, blister and shear off, leading to severe pain, disfigurement and wounds that may never heal.
For young children, it’s a particularly distressing condition. They require extensive dressing protection from fingers to toes and suffer constant skin infections, regular pain medication and multiple complications such as difficulties eating and digesting food. They are sometimes referred to as ‘butterfly children’ because their skin is as fragile as butterfly wings.
People with EB lack critical proteins that bind the skin’s two layers together, and currently there is no cure. Therapies are limited to managing pain and wound care.
Now AusHealth is bringing together two partners to seek some relief for butterfly children.
The AusHealth Phage Therapy Centre and EB Research Partnership Australia (EBRPA) are investigating how engineered virus particles (phage therapy) can help to treat skin infections.
Within a few short months this partnership has resulted in a pilot study, which has had hugely promising results.
The AusHealth Phage Therapy Centre has been able to find bacteria-killing viruses to annihilate several types of bacteria that commonly infect EB patients.
Justin Coombs, AusHealth CEO says: “The pilot project’s results are impressive and we’re hoping we can continue this work in the recently announced SMART CRC.
“Both AusHealth and EBRPA are industry partners in the SMART CRC, which is unlocking the full potential of regenerative therapies to benefit the Australian economy, the healthcare system and ultimately patients.
“AusHealth is always focused on bridging the gap in translating research. Partnering with other charities like EB Research enables us to bring together resources and expertise to help find solutions to problems.
“In this case phage therapy is showing extraordinary potential to one day displace some of the painful treatments these kids have to endure to control infections.”
EBRPA Chair Nathan Burmeister says, “Partnering with AusHealth strengthens our ability to support groundbreaking scientific advancements and supports our mission to find treatments and cures for Epidermolysis Bullosa. We look forward to bringing solutions to patients as quickly as possible.”
For further information, updates on research, ways to get involved, and support for individuals and families affected by EB visit EB Research Partnership Australia.