This blog post was co-authored by Mary Bailey.

Prof Liam Grover and his research team at the University of Birmingham are currently developing a spray that will be used to treat oral scarring, mouth ulcerations and internal blistering in EB. Blisters and ulcers in the mouth can make eating, drinking, swallowing, and even brushing of the teeth extremely difficult for those who have EB. The scarring which develops in the mouth due to such blisters can affect the development of muscles and other tissues. This project, funded by DEBRA Ireland and DEBRA UK, aims to alleviate this kind of damage.

The spray will be designed to deliver anti-scarring molecules to the areas of the mouth which require treatment. Prof Grover and his team aim to create a selection of sprays by the end of this project which will contain different anti-scarring molecules. This will allow the sprays to be compared in a clinical trial to ensure the best treatment option progresses through the research.

You may have read about this project in some of our previous blog and social media posts when it was first announced. Presently, the researchers are working on the formulation of the spray and are identifying the most effective materials to use to deliver the anti-scarring molecules to the mouth. They are also selecting which anti-scarring molecules will work best within a spray and will allow the spray to be manufactured in the safest way for the EB community. We look forward to receiving more updates on this project as it continues to progress!

DEBRA Ireland would like to thank Mary Bailey for her fantastic contribution to this article.

We really appreciate it.

We love to see those who have EB or their family members getting involved in research, as no one understands EB better than those who have experienced it.

If you would like to get involved in future blog posts or projects, please contact Sarah: [email protected]