Topical treatment aims to speed up wound healing

researchers from Uppsala University (Sweden) have shown in humans that treatment with a specific type modified lactic acid bacteria works well and has a positive effect on wound healing. Complicated and difficult-to-heal wounds are a growing medical problem and currently exist only two approved drugs with proven effectiveness.

In several controlled preclinical modelsThe research team previously demonstrated accelerated wound healing after topical treatment (treatment on the skin) using lactic acid bacteria, or Limosilactobacillus reuteri, genetically modified to produce the chemokine CXCL12 (ILP100-Topical).

Now researchers have published in the scientific journal ‘EClinical medicine‘ data from the first clinical trial in humans, in which the main objective was to establish safety and tolerability. Other goals were visible clinical and biological effects in wound healing through traditionally accepted methods as well as more exploratory and traceable measurements.

The results show that treatment with ILP100-Current was safe and well tolerated by all subjects and doses, and neither ILP100 nor CXCL12 could be detected in non-wound sites. A significantly higher proportion of wounds healed at day 32 was observed with multidose ILP100-Topical compared to saline and placebo (76 percent (73/96) and 59 percent (57/96) wounds healed, respectively). -healed wounds were collected.

Modified bacteria, usable as medicine

Furthermore, the time until first healing recorded was reduced by an average of 6 days and by 10 days with the highest dose. The mechanism of action of ILP100-Topical was also confirmed when the treatment induced an increase in CXCL12-positive cells in the wounds as well as an increase in blood flow around the wounds during the healing phase.

“The study shows that bacteria engineered to produce and deliver human proteins with local effects can be used as drugs to accelerate wound healing. This is the first time this has been demonstrated in controlled studies in humans, and the effect is expected to be higher in humans. patients with conditions that adversely affect wound healing,” he explained My Phillipsonprofessor Institute of Medical Cell Biology from Uppsala University.

Many immunoactive proteins are internally unstable and they break down quickly, so delivering them from lactic acid bacteria to the precise site of action is one way to develop them as drugs.

“The potential is truly endless when we consider the important role that proteins play in various bodily processes and the number of diseases for which they are currently we don’t have enough good treatments. We have already produced another drug candidate to heal and reduce inflammation in the gut of cancer patients – ILP100-Oral – and in the future we will start a research project with another chemokine to treat lung disease,” said Phillipson.