Genetically engineered cheese bacteria may help chronic wounds to heal

Lactococcus lactis bacteria have been engineered to produce skin-healing proteins and could be useful for treating diabetic ulcers

By Alice Klein

Cheese-making bacteria have been engineered to produce skin repair proteins that promote rapid healing when applied to wounds in mice. A clinical trial is now under way to see if they can help to heal chronic wounds that can develop in people with diabetes.

About a quarter of people with diabetes end up with open wounds called ulcers that don’t heal because of poor circulation and other complications. In severe cases, the affected body part – usually a foot – must …