They were once considered a sign of beauty made famous by people like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford.
But now scientists believe they have found a way to get rid of moles, without patients having to go under the knife.
The Frances Crick Institute has developed a type of personalized vaccine that can cause moles to “self-destruct.”
They believe it could lead to a treatment to reverse moles in patients at higher risk of cancer and even pave the way for a new form of cosmetic removal.
Small skin moles are extremely common and appear when pigment-producing cells, called melanocytes, grow in groups.
Scientists believe they can make moles “self-destruct” using a vaccine. It is hoped it could lead to a treatment to reverse moles in patients at higher risk of cancer and even pave the way for a new form of cosmetic removal.
There is also a rare skin condition caused by genetic mutations in the uterus, called congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) syndrome, which can cause up to 80 percent of a person’s body to be covered in large, painful or itchy moles. .
Children and adults with this condition are at increased risk of developing the most serious type of skin cancer, melanoma.
Scientists designed the vaccine in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which treats young people with the condition.
Testing it both in cells donated by patients and in mice, they managed to silence a mutated gene in these mole cells that can predispose people to cancer, called NRAS.
Scientists designed the vaccine in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which treats young people with the condition.
The team used a gene therapy called silencing RNA, which was delivered in special particles directly to the mole cells.
They administered injections containing the therapy to mice with CMN, which silenced the NRAS gene after just 48 hours, causing the cells to self-destruct.
They also tested it on cells and whole skin sections from children with CMN with the same “very interesting” results, published in the Journal of Investigate Dermatology.
Veronica Kinsler, Crick and GOSH Professor, said: ‘CMN is a physical and mental challenge for children and adults living with the condition and their families.
«These results are very interesting, since gene therapy not only causes the self-destruction of mole cells in the laboratory, but we have managed to apply it to the skin of mice. These results suggest that future treatment could reverse moles in people; However, more testing will be needed before we can give it to patients.
“We are very grateful to our patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital, who have been actively involved over many years in helping us produce this potential new therapy.”
Scientists said they hope the therapy, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), will soon begin clinical trials in people.
Jodi Whitehouse, of Caring Matters Now, which also helped fund the research, said: “This breakthrough in finding a treatment for NMC could transform the lives of the families we support living with NMC.”
‘As someone who was born with CMN covering 70 per cent of my body and who underwent more than 30 operations in my childhood to try to remove the CMN for fear of melanoma, without success, this news is shocking and exciting. It brings real hope to the lives of those living with CMN.’
Catriona Crombie, Director of Rare Diseases at LifeArc, said: “This work is part of our commitment to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases, investing in promising research and helping scientists overcome barriers to translational research. “.