Synthetic Skin Delivers Gene Therapies Straight to Body, No Needles Necessary
The problem with needles is that nobody likes them. Aside from that, injection sites can become inflamed, and repeated injections into the same area can damage vascular tissue (see Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream for more graphic evidence of this). With that in mind, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have successfully created synthetic skin patches that can deliver gene therapies without the need for injections. In this early study in mice, a skin graft was used to deliver atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a blood-pressure-reducing agent naturally produced by cells in the heart. The researchers cultured fibroblasts and keratinocyte cells, the main two building blocks of skin, and added the genes for ANP into their genomes. They then mixed the skin cells into a gelatinous matrix, causing them to layer up just like they would in natural human skin. Related ArticlesMore Than Skin DeepScientists Create Mice from Reprogrammed Skin CellsMuscle-Linked...