Is this the new psoriasis cure?

March 16, 2015

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Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Psoriasis is a medical condition typically marked by the emergence of itchy or burning patches of red, scaly skin, and those who suffer from it typically try to cope with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and vitamin D supplements.

Now, according to a new study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers at eight different research centers have developed a treatment that shows potential to cure the disease.

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For years, scientists have known that an inflammation-causing protein called interleukin-23 could be a key to a cure. However, past efforts have not produced very promising results.

The striking result we achieved using a human antibody that targets the signal interleukin-23 suggests we are on the threshold of doing something very different from our current model of treating psoriasis with immunosuppressive drugs throughout an adult lifetime, said study author James Krueger, head of the Laboratory of Investigative Dermatology at Rockefeller University in New York City. It raises the possibility of working toward long-term remission in other words, a cure.

In 2004, a team including Krueger indicated a major role for interleukin-23 in the disease, and study since then has backed this hypothesis. Researchers say that interleukin-23 commences a sequence of events that leads to inflammation in the skin, abnormal growth of skin cells, and dilation of blood vessels.

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Is this the new psoriasis cure?