The study, published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translation Neurology, found that two low dose rounds of a non-viral gene therapy called VM202 greatly eased the pain in people with PDN and the relief lasted for months.
 

"Those who received the therapy reported more than a 50 percent reduction in their symptoms and virtually no side effects," said lead researcher Jack Kessler, a professor in the department of pharmacology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "Not only did it improve their pain, it also improved their ability to perceive a very, very light touch."
 

VM202 contains human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene, a naturally occurring protein in the body that acts on nerve cells to keep them alive, healthy, and functioning.
 

Keith Wenckowski, one of the 84 participants in the study who suffers from PDN, said walking barefoot on sand "felt like walking on glass" because of the condition — forcing him to wear shoes, even to the beach.
 

But Wenckowski said the VM202 therapy significantly eased his pain.
 

"I can now go to a beach and walk on the sand without feeling like I am walking on glass," he said.

There is not existing treatment for PDN, which affects up to 25 percent of diabetics. Patients with the condition have abnormally high levels of glucose in their blood that can be toxic to vital organs, tissues, and nerve cells.
 

Painkillers and other medications can alleviate symptoms, but carry undesirable side effects.
 

"We are hoping that the treatment will increase the local production of hepatocyte growth factor to help regenerate nerves and grow new blood vessels and therefore reduce the pain," said Senda Ajroud-Driss, M.D., associate professor in neurology at Feinberg and an attending physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
 

"We found that the patients who received the low dose had a better reduction in pain than the people who received the high dose or the placebo."