The British "Francis Crick" Institute has developed a type of vaccine that works to "self-destruct moles" without the need for surgery. Small skin moles are very common, appearing when pigment-producing cells, called melanocytes, grow in clusters. There is a rare skin condition caused by genetic mutations in the womb, called Congenital Melanocytic Nevi (CMN), which can lead to up to 80% of the body being covered with large or itchy moles, increasing the risk of the most severe types of skin cancer.
Scientists designed the vaccine in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which treats young people affected by this condition. Mice with CMN were injected with the treatment, which blocked a mutated gene in the mole cells called NRAS; after just 48 hours, this led to self-destruction of the cells. The scientists also tested it on cells and complete skin samples from children with CMN, yielding the same results, which were published in the journal Investigative Dermatology.
Veronica Kinsler, a professor at GOSH, stated, "CMN poses a physical and mental challenge for children and adults who suffer from this condition and their families. These results are very exciting, as gene therapy not only leads to the self-destruction of mole cells in the laboratory, but we have also been able to deliver it to the skin in mice. These results indicate that treatment in the future could destroy moles in humans, but further testing will be needed before we can provide it to patients."
The scientists expressed hope that the treatment, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), will soon begin clinical trials in humans.
