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Bandages That Can Turn Off Genes Encourages Wound Healing

Posted by samzenpus on from the all-in-one-healing dept.

MTorrice writes "Medical researchers think specially tailored RNA sequences could kill tumor cells or encourage wound healing by turning off genes in patients' cells. Now researchers have developed a nanocoating for bandages or other medical materials that could deliver these fragile gene-silencing RNAs right where they're needed. The team hopes to produce a bandage that shuts down genes standing in the way of healing in chronic wounds."

8 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. That would be a Godsend by hardburlyboogerman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For Type 1 diabetics,like myself.We are plagued by non-healing chronic open wounds that set up into gangrene.I lost my right foot to such a wound that started as a blister

    --
    Geek Hillbilly
  2. What's being 'silenced' here? by waterbear · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Obviously one crucial element in the safety/efficacy of anything like this is the identity of the gene/protein involved:-- what exactly is being 'silenced' here and taken away from the wound-healing process?

    Whatever, it's not mentioned in either the /. summary or either of the links referred to. So there's no real clue in the story, or in the links, about whether the application of this delivery technique is likely to be beneficial or the reverse.

    Informative reportage?

    1. Re:What's being 'silenced' here? by TrashGod · · Score: 5, Informative

      The idea is to down-regulate the production of protein(s) that induce cellular senescence in chronic wounds, for example. The short interfering RNA molecules are fragile. The article is touting a potentially more effective delivery system (gun), rather than a particular fragment (bullet).

  3. Re:Leg fell off by ras · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder if it can cure a nasty case of "leg fell off"?

    No.

    But if you are under the age of 6, not wrapping a finger in a bandage means it will probably grow back. From www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/4632692 (click on Transcript):

    Dany Adams: It's interesting, in humans if you were six years old and you cut the tip of your finger off it would grow back, as long as the doctors do not do the normal thing, which is to pull some skin and cover the wound to prevent infection, which is a very good thing to do, but if you don't do that and you allow it to stay open, it will in fact regenerate if you are six years old.

  4. This is spectacular. by bmo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Foot ulcers in diabetics and bed sores in the elderly are really hard to deal with. Even when blood sugar is under control, these things take a long time to heal. You don't ever want one to happen to you.

    Slapping a specially treated bandage on a wound can *genetically* encourage healing? This is tantamount to finding out that you can cure scurvy with vitamin C to the affected people.

    --
    BMO

  5. Re:BE HEALED !! by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    " "Doctors put drugs of which they know little into bodies of which they know less for diseases of which they know nothing at all." --Voltaire

                        "The role of the doctor is to amuse the patient whilst nature takes its course".--Voltaire again"

    That works only for the malade imaginaire.

  6. Re:Leg fell off by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 2

    I wonder if it can cure a nasty case of "leg fell off"?

    No.

    But if you are under the age of 6, not wrapping a finger in a bandage means it will probably grow back. From www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/4632692 (click on Transcript):

    Dany Adams: It's interesting, in humans if you were six years old and you cut the tip of your finger off it would grow back, as long as the doctors do not do the normal thing, which is to pull some skin and cover the wound to prevent infection, which is a very good thing to do, but if you don't do that and you allow it to stay open, it will in fact regenerate if you are six years old.

    That's assuming the open wound doesn't become septic and you die from the infection, of course.

  7. Re:This is a phenomenally ignorant respose. by conspirator23 · · Score: 2

    Congratulatons, you have managed to parlay your irrational fear of GMO into an irrational fear of entirely unrelated technologies. There's no gene splicing going on here. The RNA material they are embedding into the bandage are not genes, are not being spliced into living cells, and will not replicate. They are basically custom marching orders being sent to the existing genes, temporarily telling certain ones to shut the hell up for the duration of time that the RNA persists in the immediate area. The bandage approach is specifically because the RNA is so fragile as to not deliver effectively via traditional methods. So... you're wrong on so many levels, it boggles the mind.

    Welcome to Slashdot, BTW. You fit in just fine.