Psoriasis
Psoriasis
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Introduction: Psoriasis is an immune-related, chronic, recurrent, inflammatory, and systemic disease. It is caused by an overactive immune system that leads to the rapid proliferation of skin cells, typically triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Symptoms: As a result, patients develop scaly and inflamed patches on the skin, commonly occurring on the scalp, knees, and elbows. Beyond skin symptoms, patients may also experience a wide range of clinical manifestations that significantly impact their quality of life.
Consequences: Studies abroad have shown that up to 38% of patients may develop psoriatic arthritis, leading to joint deformities and even disability, severely affecting their quality of life and overall health.
Our Research: Therefore, developing effective treatments to alleviate or even cure this disease has always been a key research objective in this field. Promisingly, the team of scientists here at Providence have identified a potential target for a new therapeutic to treat the underlying causes of psoriasis.
A Novel Target - SKP2
A Novel Target - SKP2
Through extensive literature research, we have identified a new protein that can serve as a target for treating psoriasis—SKP2.
The SKP2 protein is an S-phase kinase-associated protein that acts as a key component of the SCF (SKP1-CUL1-F-box protein) ubiquitin ligase complex. This complex plays an extremely important role in the regulation of the cell cycle via the targeting of specific proteins involved in the degradation of cells through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
In individuals suffering from psoriasis, the S phase of the cell cycle sees a large increase as it is the vital phase for proliferative effects.
Therefore, it was hypothesised by providence scientists that by targeting this protein and thus the pathway, psoriasis could be prevented/ cured.
Models to Validate Target
Models to Validate Target
The Drug-Induced Model: To validate our hypothesis, our research team utilized a drug-induced psoriasis mouse model. Ultimately, we successfully validated the feasibility of targeting SKP2 as a therapeutic approach for treating psoriasis.
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