Scientists tested an enzyme on mice that could speed up the wound healing process.

Researchers have spurred many advancements that improved the wound healing process, but it’s rare to come across a therapy that actually speeds up the body’s ability to grow new collagen. However, according to a new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, scientists have done just that.

As the study outlines, researchers from Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine based in New York City have developed experimental nanoparticle therapy. Testing this therapy on mice has shown that it has the capacity to cut wound healing time in half.

About the study

The researchers developed the nanoparticle therapy based on a previous discover: They found an enzyme, fidgetin-like 2, that slows skin cells as they move toward the wound opening to heal the affected area. This finding led the scientists to believe that if the body contained less FL2, the cells could migrate more quickly toward their goal, thereby hastening the wound healing process.

With that, the researchers developed a pharmaceutical drug that deactivates the gene that produces FL2 and placed that gene in nanoparticles. These were then applied directly onto the wounds of mice. Compared to a control group that received no treatment, the group that was treated with nanoparticle therapy healed as much as 50 percent faster.

“Not only did the cells move into the wounds faster, but they knew what to do when they got there,” study co-leader Dr. David J. Sharp, a professor of physiology and biophysics at Einstein, said in a press release. “We saw normal, well-orchestrated regeneration of tissue, including hair follicles and the skin’s supportive collagen network.”

More about FL2

As Dermatology Times explained, fidgetin-like 2 is a microtubule-severing enzyme that had gone uncharacterized before the Einstein research group conducted studies. The enzyme plays a wide variety of roles in cellular function, including the development of new tissue. To reduce the levels of FL2, silencing RNAs must be put into effect to prevent mRNAs from creating fidgetin-like 2 enzymes. However, as the researchers found, cells generally will not pick up silencing RNAs on their own, so they must be put in a delivery vehicle, prompting the the researchers to place them in nanoparticles that would protect the silencing RNAs and could be applied topically.

How will this discovery affect wound care?

Further testing must still be completed to determine the safety and effectiveness of this unique nanoparticle therapy on wound healing. Within the next few months, Dr. Sharp and his team plan to begin testing FL2 on pigs, as their skin is most similar to human tissue. If the method continues to prove effective, the implications for this nanoparticle therapy are vast, as Sharp explained in the press release.

“We envision that our nanoparticle therapy could be used to speed the healing of all sorts of wounds, including everyday cuts and burns, surgical incisions, and chronic skin ulcers, which are a particular problem in the elderly and people with diabetes,” Sharp explained.

Nanoparticle therapy may someday be a go-to solution for people who suffer from slow- and non-healing wounds. Such issues, which are particularly common among older populations, can lead to various complications, from unsightly scar tissue to an increased risk of infection with potential for morbidity.

The development of this new therapy, which can be conducted non-invasively through topical application, may mean a speedier and safer recovery for people. Additionally, it has great potential to reduce health care costs associated with diabetic ulcers, infection, amputation and other major complications.

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