MUHC Researchers Find a Molecule That Improves Wound Repair

Annually, 1.25 million Americans suffer burns and 6.5 million experience chronic skin ulcers from diseases such as diabetes. So far, treatment options for these individuals have been limited. However, Dr. Andrew Bateman of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and his collaborators has recently identified a molecule that may be used to treat these wounds. They demonstrated that the growth factor, progranulin, might help skin heal. These findings will be published in the February issue of Nature Medicine and are currently available online at http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nm816.html.