A young woman who appeared on the Late Late Show alongside Johnny Sexton has inspired a groundbreaking new dressing for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) sufferers.
Claudia Scanlon stole the hearts of the nation with her charm, bravery and her ability to put both Johnny Sexton and Ryan Tubridy in their place during a memorable appearance on the show in 2023 that also saw her drive an appeal that raised €300K for Debra Ireland.
In sharing her story, Claudia has now potentially helped people living with EB across the nation.
The illness which is also known as Butterfly Syndrome occurs because of a lack of essential proteins that help to bind the layers of the skin together. This means that even a minor movement can cause the skin to tear or blister, and is extremely painful.
'I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, it's a living hell,' Claudia told Ryan as she described the pain she endures every single day while she has her bandages changed to prevent infection.
Tuning in at home was Professor Fergal O'Brien of the Royal College of Surgeons who was moved by Claudia's story and reached out to Debra Ireland who provided the initial funding for the project.
Fast forward two years and his team is in the process of creating a gene-activated scaffold dressing that would allow cells to grow and heal.
This outer scaffold layer of the dressing will have antimicrobial properties, while the inside will be infused with Collagen 7 which is the gene lacking or malfunctioning for those who have Dystrophic EB.
'The aim is to make an off-the-shelf product that would be very simple to apply,' Dr Marko Dobricic told the Irish Independent.
Initially, the aim would be to focus on dressings for Recessive Dystrophic EB before expanding the range to suit other forms of EB.
'We hope to be able to tailor the size and shape of the bandage or scaffold to the skin that needs to be treated,' Dr Dobricic added.
