TY  - JOUR
TI  - Emerging targets and gene-based therapeutics in diabetic foot ulcer: a comprehensive review
AU  - Alvarez, Irwing F.
AU  - Galindo, Vanessa A.
AU  - Rai, Vikrant
PY  - 2026
JO  - Exploration of Drug Science
VL  - 4
SP  - 1008168
DO  - 10.37349/eds.2026.1008168
UR  - https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/eds/Article/1008168
AB  - A diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is an open sore or wound, usually on the bottom of the foot, affecting about 15% of people with diabetes. Caused by nerve damage, poor circulation, and high pressure, these ulcers often present as swelling, drainage, redness, or foot deformities. Treatment focuses on infection control, debridement, and offloading pressure, often taking weeks to months to heal. Despite treatment, recurrence and amputation remain major clinical concerns. Gene therapy for DFUs is an emerging, promising field aiming to accelerate healing in chronic, non-healing wounds by delivering therapeutics (e.g., growth factors) directly to the site to promote angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. Key approaches include topically applied, multi-target gene therapies (e.g., AUP1602-C reporting 83% healing rate) and plasmid-based therapies (e.g., VM202/Engensis). This narrative review aims to describe the molecular aspects of wound healing, pathogenesis and management of DFU, followed by evolving gene therapies including AUP-16, VM202, and gene targets like SCUBE1, RNF103-CHMP3 and PGI1. We have also discussed emerging targets such as C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), thrombospondin 1 (TSP1), yes-associated protein-transcriptional co-activator with PDZ binding motif (YAP-TAZ) pathway, and others as potential targets for gene therapy to promote healing in chronic non-healing DFUs.
ER  -