Breakthrough for children with rare, painful skin condition

Health & Fitness
15 Aug 2025 • 2:38 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Gabrielius Misurenkovas, a 12-year-old boy with the rare, painful skin condition, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), has gained more freedom thanks to a new clinical trial.
  • RDEB causes extremely fragile skin, leading to blistering, deep wounds, and scarring, with only around 150 children in the UK affected and no prior specific treatment available.
  • Gabrielius participated in a clinical trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, receiving intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), specifically CORDStrom.
  • The trial significantly improved his condition, leading to quicker wound healing, reduced inflammation and itchiness, and allowing him to participate in activities like playing football and cycling.
  • The company INmuneBio is providing CORDStrom free for a year to trial participants and is seeking regulatory approval for the treatment in the UK and other countries.

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