With a long background in drug development, Suma Krishnan emerged as one of the most influential innovators in modern biotechnology. In her late forties, she began questioning a basic assumption in gene therapy. Why did treatment always have to be injected into the body. She believed genetic medicine could be applied directly to the skin. That idea would later lead to a first-of-its-kind therapy for a devastating rare disease.In 2016, at age 51, Krishnan co-founded Krystal Biotech with her husband and long-time collaborator Krish Krishnan. Years later, the company delivered a medical milestone. The achievement earned her a place on the Forbes 250 America’s Greatest Innovators, which honors ideas that reshape entire industries.
Suma Krishnan’s breakthrough in treating butterfly skin disease
Krishnan’s work focuses on Epidermolysis bullosa, often called butterfly skin disease. It is a rare inherited condition where the skin is extremely fragile. Even light friction can cause painful blisters and open wounds. Many patients are children who live with constant pain and frequent infections.For decades, treatment options were limited. Care focused on bandaging wounds, managing pain, and preventing infection. There was no therapy that addressed the genetic cause of the disease.Krishnan’s insight was not about discovering gene therapy. It was about how to deliver it. She proposed a topical gene therapy that could be applied directly to wounds. The therapy would deliver a healthy copy of the faulty gene to skin cells where it was needed most.At the time, many experts doubted this approach. Gene therapies were thought to be difficult to repeat safely. Krishnan disagreed. “The challenge was not just delivering the gene once,” she has said in interviews. “It was making sure patients could use it safely again and again.”
From concept to FDA approval
That idea became Vyjuvek, a topical gene therapy for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. In 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Vyjuvek. It became the first FDA-approved topical gene therapy. It was also one of the first gene therapies cleared for a skin disease.Clinical trials showed meaningful wound healing with repeated use. This addressed long-standing concerns about safety and durability. For patients and doctors, it marked a shift from symptom control to targeted treatment.Forbes recognized Krishnan for turning a high-risk scientific idea into an approved medicine. Krystal Biotech has since grown into a multi-billion-dollar company. Its gene therapy platform is now being explored for other skin and genetic conditions.Industry analysts often highlight her deep experience. She spent decades in drug development before founding her company. That background helped her navigate long timelines and complex regulation.Krishnan’s story also challenges assumptions about age and innovation. She founded Krystal Biotech in her fifties. Years later, she delivered an FDA-approved therapy. Many editors at Forbes have noted that some of the most impactful innovations come after long careers, not at the beginning.
A lasting impact on rare disease care
Today, Suma Krishnan’s work stands as proof that persistence and scientific rigor matter. For families affected by epidermolysis bullosa, the impact is deeply personal. For the biotech world, it opens new ways of thinking about gene therapy delivery.Krishnan has often said the goal was never recognition. “What matters,” she has said, “is whether patients’ lives actually change.” For many living with butterfly skin disease, they already have.
