Here's the article from last year on the breakthrough that identified the genes
linked to psoriasis and chromosome 17. I keep a lot of research articles like
this on my web site at www.dfwpsoriasis.org if any of you are ever looking for
stuff like this.



David



Three genes linked to psoriasis susceptibility identified on chromosome 17



Major advance marks the beginning, not the end, of understanding complex role of
genetics in psoriasis



Portland, Ore., Nov. 9, 2003 – Researchers using data gleaned from a tissue bank
created by the National Psoriasis Foundation have identified three of the first
genes associated with psoriasis. The finding, published in the December 2003
issue of the prestigious journal Nature Genetics, marks a significant advance in
the understanding of psoriasis, an immune-mediated disease with both genetic and
environmental triggers, and may lead to new treatments for the disease.



“This is an exciting breakthrough that opens a new chapter in our quest to
unlock the secrets of psoriasis,” said Gail Zimmerman, president and CEO of the
National Psoriasis Foundation. “We are clearly making great progress in
understanding the complex genetic underpinnings of this often debilitating
disease.”



Anne M. Bowcock, Ph.D., of Washington University in St. Louis, and her
colleagues identified three genes on chromosome 17 in which the “on and off”
switches are impaired in statistically significant numbers of psoriasis
patients. Several other psoriasis susceptibility genes are expected to be
identified in the months and years ahead, including one on chromosome 6. In all,
it is suspected that more than a dozen genes are involved in psoriasis.



“Over the next few years, researchers are going to identify a large number of
psoriasis susceptibility genes,” Dr. Bowcock said. “These will be important
building blocks toward finding a cure in the future. In the meantime, the
findings could help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies craft the next
generation of medications to treat the disease, and ultimately lead to more
successful management of psoriasis.”



This scientific research was made possible by the efforts of the Psoriasis
Foundation, which created the National Psoriasis Tissue Bank and opened it in
1994 with money donated by Foundation members. This tissue bank, built with
blood samples from hundreds of families with psoriasis, provided the raw
material that the Bowcock team analyzed in its ground-breaking discovery.



“The financial and physical contributions of psoriasis patients a decade ago are
now bearing fruit,” said Gerald G. Krueger, M.D., a professor of dermatology at
the University of Utah Medical School in Salt Lake City and a member of the
Psoriasis Foundation’s Medical Board. “This advance in our scientific knowledge
is part of an intricate web of factors that seems to determine who gets
psoriasis and who does not.”



The Psoriasis Foundation recently funded follow-up research that the Bowcock
team is doing to investigate the precise role in psoriasis played by the genes
on chromosome 17. Other teams are also working on identifying the other genes
thought to play a role in the disease. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
also contributed significantly to the National Psoriasis Tissue Bank and the
Bowcock team.



“Supporting cutting-edge research is a key commitment of the Psoriasis
Foundation,” added Zimmerman. “We will continue to work with NIH and interested
scientists to promote research that will lead to new treatments and ultimately a
cure for psoriasis.”



About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a lifelong skin disease that occurs when faulty signals in the
immune system cause skin cells to regenerate too quickly—every three to four
days instead of the usual 30-day cycle. Extra skin cells build up on the skin’s
surface, forming red, flaky, scaly lesions that can itch, crack, bleed and be
extremely painful. Psoriasis generally appears on the joints, limbs and scalp
but it can appear anywhere on the body, covering some people from head to toe.
More than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with psoriasis and/or
psoriatic arthritis, a degenerative disease of the joints and connective tissues
associated with psoriasis. Psoriasis typically first strikes people between the
ages of 15 and 35, but can affect anyone at any age, including children.



About the National Psoriasis Foundation

The National Psoriasis Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization fighting
to improve the quality of life of the more than 5 million Americans diagnosed
with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and their families. Sustained by
annual contributions from more than 40,000 members as well as corporate and
foundation grants, its mission is to educate people about these diseases and
their treatments, raise public awareness, and support ongoing research. The
organization is headquartered in Portland, Ore. For more information, please
call the Psoriasis Foundation at 800.723.9166 or visit www.psoriasis.org.



Media inquiries:

Michael Paranzino

National Psoriasis Foundation

503.546.8393

mike@...


alimatjen <mickjenlyons1@...> wrote:Hi Andrew,

Welcome to the group, I've had P.A. for about 10 years, but became
quite disabling around 2000. Since that time I've had a knee
operation and have been on Methotrexate for about three years. I
have been able to reclaim my life. I take 15 mg per week and have
PA one foot, knee, and one hand, I suspect I may have it in my hip
and one shoulder, but I don't want to think about that.

What I would like to tell you is you should see a rhuematoligist,
and access what treatment is available to you. Methotrexate is a
disease modifying drug, therefore slows down the progression of the
disease. When I first went to the rhuemie he had me on vioxx and
sulphur something or other, I had side effects from the suphur what
ever it was. Fortunately I'm like David Bruce and tolerate
Methotrexate well. I have had recent problems with my knee again,
will eventually have to have a knee replacement. As I'm 48years
old, I'd like to put that off as long as possible. I recently went
to see the rhuemie and had a cortisone injection for the knee, am
managing.

Try to stay positive and good luck.

Also before I go I would like to say to David Bruce, there may be
something in what he says about chromosone 17, as my grandmother had
this disease and my Uncle (her son) has Lupus. For me Lupus would
be worse.

Thinking of you all

Regards Jenny from Penrith Australia


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