The Last Laser Initiative
What if the next laser treatment could one day be the last?
Bringing the laser and aesthetics industry together to help fund research towards a cure for Port-Wine Stains and Sturge-Weber syndrome.
For decades, laser has been the main treatment for Port-Wine Stain birthmarks. It can make an enormous difference — but it treats the abnormal blood vessels, not the genetic mutation that caused them. For the first time, researchers are investigating whether gene editing could correct the mutation itself.
A rare condition
Most people will never meet someone born with this.
1 in 20,000–50,000
The estimated number of babies born with Sturge-Weber syndrome — the rare neuro-vascular condition that can accompany a port-wine birthmark, affecting the brain and eyes.
~3 in 1,000
Newborns born with a port-wine stain — the visible mark that, for a small number of children, is the first sign of something far more serious beneath the skin.
Sources: Sturge-Weber syndrome prevalence — StatPearls (NIH), NORD. Port-wine stain prevalence — Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Where lasers come in
Laser treatment changes lives. And it is only the beginning of the story.
Laser can lighten a port-wine stain, slow its progression and give a child a real chance at the appearance they want. For decades, it has been one of the few tools medicine could offer.
But for the children who need it most, laser isn't a one-time fix. It means repeated treatments over many years — and it treats the abnormal blood vessels we can see, not the genetic cause that created them.
The same technology that powers aesthetic clinics every day is, for these families, the best hope they have been given.
What comes next
Today, there is a real path toward a cure.
We now know that PWS and Sturge-Weber syndrome are caused by somatic genetic mutations affecting the development of blood vessels. And research teams — including Dr Anne Comi and collaborators at the Hunter Nelson Sturge-Weber Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute — are already investigating whether gene editing could correct the mutation itself.
There is a known mutation. There are human cell and animal models. There are gene-editing approaches ready to test. What the research needs now is funding — and the industry whose devices already touch these lives every day is uniquely placed to help.
How the industry takes part
One clinic's contribution may be small. Across an industry, it could fund an entire programme of research.
The idea is simple. As an awareness initiative, participating clinics, practitioners, manufacturers and distributors donate a small proportion of their laser-treatment revenue to support research into gene editing for PWS and SWS. Any clinic can run its own campaign at any time of year — there is no set month.
Every participating organisation becomes part of The Last Laser Initiative and can display the initiative badge to show its support.
Today's laser, helping to fund tomorrow's cure.
For Alexander. For everyone living with a Port-Wine Stain or Sturge-Weber syndrome today. And for every child who comes after them.
Funding the research that could make the last laser possible.