Dawn of Healing: Revolutionary ZEVASKYN™ Gene Therapy Arrives to Combat Agonizing RDEB Wounds

A groundbreaking gene therapy, ZEVASKYN™, ignites new hope for patients suffering from the devastating skin disorder, Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB).
Chicago's renowned Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital becomes the pioneering first Qualified Treatment Center (QTC) in the U.S. for this revolutionary treatment.
Treatments with ZEVASKYN™, the only FDA-approved therapy offering healing for RDEB wounds with a single application, are anticipated to commence in the third quarter of 2025.

For those ensnared by the relentless torment of Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB), life is a constant battle against excruciating, chronic wounds that can lead to severe systemic complications, dramatically impacting life's length and quality⁷. This rare, inherited disorder leaves skin unimaginably fragile, blistering and tearing at the slightest touch due to a defect in the COL7A1 gene, robbing the body of essential type VII collagen that anchors skin layers together. Historically, treatment has been a grueling cycle of supportive care with no cure in sight^{1, 2}.

But now, a monumental shift is underway. Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ABEO) and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago have announced a landmark moment: Lurie Children's is activated as the very first QTC for ZEVASKYN™ (prademagene zamikeracel). This isn't just another treatment; it's a transformative gene-modified cellular sheet therapy, the first and only of its kind approved by the FDA on April 29, 2025, specifically designed to heal the wounds of both adult and pediatric RDEB patients with a single application.

"Lurie Children’s is a top-ranked hospital, known for its expertise in treating patients with epidermolysis bullosa, and we are pleased to announce that ZEVASKYN is now commercially available," declared Madhav Vasanthavada, Ph.D., M.B.A., Chief Commercial Officer of Abeona. Dr. Amy Paller, head of the EB program at Lurie Children’s, added, "Grafting gene-corrected cellular sheets onto chronically open wounds... promises the potential to provide long-term healing, reduction in pain and reduced risk of infection."

Lurie Children’s, a bastion of excellence in genetic skin diseases for over 30 years, expects the first patient biopsy in July 2025, with treatment to follow in August. ZEVASKYN™ works by introducing a functional COL7A1 gene into a patient's own skin cells, enabling them to produce the vital type VII collagen directly in the treated wounds.

Support is paramount. Abeona’s comprehensive patient support program, Abeona Assist™, offers personalized guidance, financial assistance options, and travel logistics. For more information, visit www.ZEVASKYN.com, call 1-855-ABEONA-1 (1-855-223-6621), or email [email protected]. Patients interested in treatment at Lurie Children’s can email [email protected].

This breakthrough, while a giant leap, is part of a broader advancement in gene therapies⁶, heralding a future where the unyielding pain of RDEB may finally begin to recede.

Dawn of Healing: Revolutionary ZEVASKYN™ Gene Therapy Arrives to Combat Agonizing RDEB Wounds

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