People who reported painful diabetic neuropathy and who received two low dose rounds of a non-viral gene therapy called VM202 reported significant pain reductions that lasted for months, according to a study published in the Annals of Clinical And Translational Neurology.

Researchers from Northwestern Medicine reported on the results of this phase two, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which looked at 84 people who went to a clinic twice in a two-week timespan for a series of injections into the back of their calf muscles and lower legs. Some of those people received injections of a saline placebo, others received a low dose of the therapy and others a higher dose.

At three months, patients in the low-dose group experienced a significant reduction in pain when compared with the placebo group. The effect persisted at six and nine months in the low-dose group, the researchers said.

VM202 contains human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene. Growth factor is a naturally occurring protein in the body that acts on cells – in this case nerve cells – to keep them alive, healthy and functioning.

The researchers concluded that future studies are needed to investigate if the therapy can actually regenerate damaged nerves.

Reference

1. Kessler JA. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2015; DOI: 10.1002/acn3.186

Gene Therapy May Hold Promise To Address Diabetic Neuropathy

Reference

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