Wound chronicity and tumorigenesis – relevance of T cell-mediated mechanisms.

Bullous autoimmune dermatoses result from an autoantibody-driven immune response against structural proteins of the skin. Chronic wounds in the setting of recessively inherited dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) are highly susceptible to malignant transformation into life-threatening squamous cell carcinomas of the skin. Researchers are combining molecular and cellular profiling techniques with functional assays to identify markers that may one day be used for diagnosis and therapy.