A team from Trinity’s Department of Genetics has made a vital breakthrough in the treatment of chronic skin inflammatory disease psoriasis.
The scientists, led by Professor Seamus Martin and Ph.D. students Conor Henry and Graeme Sullivan, have been examining the role of protein interleukin-36 in switching on the immune system. Inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis are caused when this alarm protein is switched on too easily and the body inflames unnecessarily.
The scientists have discovered the protease molecules that convert the interleukin-36 protein from its benign form to a destructive one by removing a small part of the protein. Psoriasis is caused when these protease molecules are overactive.
As a result of this research, the Trinity scientists have patented inhibitors of the interleukin-36 activating proteases, which could potentially be used in new therapies to prevent these molecular processes in psoriasis sufferers.
At present psoriasis is incurable and affects over 100,000 people in Ireland. In a press release, Professor Martin called their discovery “very exciting” and claimed that they should be able to “develop this approach into a new way of treating psoriasis”. Until then, there are options such as using cbd products (check out sites like https://www.everydayoptimalcbd.com/product/cbd-pain-cream/ for more information) to reduce inflammation, aloe vera to relieve the itchiness or even try turmeric supplements to help minimize flare-ups.
The research was supported by Science Foundation Ireland. Emphasising the importance of the discovery, Martin said: “This work represents an excellent example of how basic research leads to fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of how diseases arise. Without such knowledge, it would be very difficult to develop new therapies.”
The team now hope to form a partnership with a pharmaceutical and skincare company to develop their findings into a treatment.
