- Psoriasis affects more than 1.8 million in the UK alone.
- Psoriasis is caused by the protein IL-36.
- IL-36 is a group of inflammatory proteins.
A group of inflammatory proteins called ’IL-36’ play a significant role in the development of psoriasis and can, in theory, be blocked without posing a risk to patients. This was confirmed in a study by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. The findings of this study, although still at an early stage, open up the possibility for the development of new drugs to tackle this often debilitating condition.
Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales and affects more than 1.8 million in the UK alone.
Is Blocking of the Psoriasis Causing Protein Safe?
The protein known to play a significant role in the development of psoriasis can be prevented from functioning without posing a risk to patients, scientists at King’s College London have found.
Dr. Francesca Capon, who led the study at King’s College London said: "There was already some evidence to suggest that IL-36 played a significant role in psoriasis. Having confirmed this was the case, the question for us was whether we could block this molecule without posing a risk to patients."
To tackle this problem, Dr. Capon and her team contacted the Born in Bradford (BiB) project, a large study led by Prof John Wright at Bradford Royal Infirmary which is tracking the health of over 13,500 local children and their parents.
Medical technology which would enable the blocking of IL-36 group of inflammatory proteins in patients with psoriasis is already widely available.
"Current research is having a positive impact on clinical effectiveness, better understanding is providing better treatment outcomes, ultimately improving the lives of those affected by psoriasis."
References
- Satveer K. Mahil and Marika Catapano et al. An Analysis of Il-36 Signature Genes and Individuals with Il1Rl2 Knockout Mutations Validates Il-36 as a Psoriasis Therapeutic Target, Science Translation Medicinehttp://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/411/eaan2514
Source-Eurekalert