Recently, using in vivo rat-tail and chondrodystrophic canine (CD canine) models of DDD we identified and demonstrated the therapeutic potential of a novel molecular therapeutic “NTG-101” containing a combination of recombinant human (rh) Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) and Transforming Growth Factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) within an excipient solution. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and Dowling-Degos disease 1.