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Study decoded · health · Emerging
Lab-Made Enzyme Weakens Dupuytren's Hand Cords By 32% In Tissue Testing
32% weaker cords6 cords testedE. coli-made enzymeNot yet in patients
A recombinant collagenase enzyme cut the force needed to tear Dupuytren's disease cords by about 32% in tissue removed during surgery, according to a proof-of-concept study published September 24, 2026 in PLOS One.
Researchers at a hospital ethics-approved study took cords surgically removed from five Dupuytren's disease patients, where thick collagen bands pull fingers into a permanently bent position. Six cord segments were injected with either 0.5 mL of a recombinant collagenase G enzyme at 4 mg/ml, grown in E. coli bacteria, or a plain saline placebo injection. Four cords got the enzyme, two got saline. After sitting in saline at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours, each cord was stitched into a tensile-testing machine that pulled it until it tore, measuring the exact force in real time. Cords treated with the enzyme ruptured at a mean force of 0.047 kilonewtons, compared with 0.069 kilonewtons for saline-treated cords, a reduction of about 32% in the force needed to tear the tissue. Force-displacement graphs showed the enzyme-treated cords had a flatter slope and lower peak force before failure.
Dupuytren's disease builds up excess collagen in the palm's connective tissue, forming cords that stiffen and shorten over time, eventually locking fingers toward the palm. An FDA-approved collagenase drug extracted from Clostridium histolyticum bacteria already treats this by chemically cutting that collagen so a doctor can manually straighten the finger, but the authors note it comes with production costs and variability because it is harvested directly from bacteria rather than engineered. The authors describe this new enzyme as a lab-grown version that can be manufactured with more consistency and potentially re-engineered for better precision, built on prior work showing the same enzyme softened gum tissue before tooth extraction.
Force needed to tear Dupuytren's cords: 0.047 kN vs 0.069 kN
Data Panel
- Who
- 6 Dupuytren's disease cord segments from 5 surgical patients, ethics-approved, sex and age not reported
- Design
- Ex vivo tensile-strength testing of excised cords injected with enzyme or saline placebo, then pulled to rupture on an Instron testing machine
- Dose
- 0.5 mL of 4 mg/ml recombinant collagenase G injected into cord center; comparison group received 0.5 mL phosphate-buffered saline; incubated 2 hours at 98.6 F before testing
- Primary result
- Mean rupture force 0.047 kN with enzyme vs 0.069 kN with saline, about a 32% reduction in force needed to tear the cord
- Secondary
- Force-displacement curves showed a flatter slope and lower peak force in enzyme-treated cords; no histology or biochemical degradation assay performed in this study
- Funding / conflicts
- Authors report no specific funding for this work; conflicts not reported
This was tissue in a dish, not a treatment given to a living hand, and the sample was six cords from five people tested at a single enzyme concentration, numbers the authors themselves call too small for firm conclusions. No human safety or injection trial has been run, and the paper reports no outside funding.
Dr. Axe's Take
This is bench science, not a bedside option yet; six cord samples is a pilot, not proof. Still, it confirms something useful: enzyme-based collagen breakdown already works clinically, via FDA-approved collagenase injection, so this lab-grown version chases a cheaper, more consistent alternative to something already helping hands without surgery. If you have early nodules without a locked finger, I'd address collagen overgrowth directly, daily stretching, manual massage with castor oil to keep tissue pliable, and vitamin C-rich foods supporting normal collagen turnover. For true flexion contracture, talk to a hand surgeon about collagenase injection now rather than waiting on recombinant versions still years away.
— Dr. Axe