World’s First Cure For Lethal Skin Disease Is Here

Recently, a team of researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia, and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany, developed the first-ever cure for TEN. Also known as toxic epidermal necrolysis, it is a deadly skin disease that causes blisters and skin detachment and can lead to dehydration, sepsis, pneumonia, and organ failure. 

According to sources, this disease is triggered by reactions to common medications and has a 30% mortality rate. 

The study found that hyperactivation of the JAK-STAT signalling pathway, a chain of interactions between cell proteins for immunity, drives TEN. Researchers treated seven TEN patients using JAK inhibitors (a drug category used to cure inflammatory disease). 

Holly Anderton, author of the WEHI study, said after treatment success, “Finding a cure for a lethal disease like this is the holy grail of medical research. I am beyond proud of this incredible research collaboration that has already helped to save the lives of multiple patients.” 

Researchers shared that all seven treated people experienced rapid improvement from the condition. They also hope these findings will clear the path for a clinical trial to approve JAK inhibitors as a TEN cure.