Meet the researchers

Your fundraising dollars will support psoriasis research that will bring us closer to a cure. Meet the researchers who most recently received National Psoriasis Foundation grants and find out about top advancements in psoriasis research.  Thank you for your efforts that make these research projects possible.   

Top 5 advances in psoriasis research in 2008

1. Drugs that block immune mediators interleukin 12 and 23 effectively suppressed psoriasis Studies published in 2008 revealed that blockers of these two immune mediators (ustekinumab, produced by Centocor and ABT-874, produced by Abbott) dramatically reduced the severity of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (Many of our Medical Board members were either authors of these papers (Leonardi, Kimball, Lebwohl, Krueger, Gordon) and/or study investigators (Fiorentino, Blauvelt, Gordon, Hsu, Korman). In addition the NPF testified at the FDA advisory committee meeting for ustekinumab. We could reference the recent ustekinumab news in the sidebar.

2. Psoriasis lesions loaded with newly discovered immune cell (Th17 cell) - A new study of psoriasis patients found that an immune cell called Th17 plays an important role in disease and occurs in higher numbers in their skin than in the skin of healthy individuals. These cells and the mediators they produce may be good targets for psoriasis drug development. NPF sponsored investigator Dr. Allen Bruce recently published a paper in the Journal of Immunology that may explain at least in part, the processes by which these cells accumulate in psoriasis skin.

3. New genetic links to psoriasis revealed In a first of it’s kind study, NPF supported researchers at Washington University (Bowcock) discovered 7 new sites of common DNA variation that increase the risk for developing psoriasis. They also found that variations in one genetic region link psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with other autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes, Grave’s disease, celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The DNA variations discovered in this study may eventually lead to new target drugs for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. (Sidebar about how the biobank will contribute to the effort to identify psoriasis genes.)

4. Small RNA molecules may play an important role in the development of psoriasis An NPF sponsored research team at the Karlinska Institute in Sweden (Sonkoly) has shown for the first time that microRNA’s may be involved in the development of psoriasis. MicroRNA’s are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by altering the function of many different cell signals. In the future, therapies based on microRNA regulation might become more effective than therapies that block a single protein target.

5. Complex between anti-microbial peptide and self - DNA may be a trigger for psoriasis. Psoriasis is considered by many to be an autoimmune diseases but the target for this response remains elusive. A human peptide that acts as a natural antibiotic in the skin was shown to also bind to the body’s own DNA and trigger an immune response in the absence of infection. This pathway may be a key driver of the autoimmune response in psoriasis and provides a new potential target for psoriasis treatments.