Research Maps Neighborhoods of Psoriasis Cells in Attempt to Understand Condition

Researchers are leveraging new mapping techniques to study psoriasis cells to understand the condition better. Psoriasis occurs when the immune system becomes overactive and causes inflammation in the skin, resulting in the formation of raised patches of red, itchy, flaky skin.

While psoriasis symptoms can range from mild to severe, the condition also increases the risk of developing health conditions such as diabetes, mental health issues, psoriatic arthritis and heart problems. Scientists have been unable to determine why psoriasis makes it easier to develop other conditions for decades.

With this new mapping technique, however, researchers could generate accurate maps of "cellular neighborhoods" in the skin, allowing scientists to more precisely chart the progression of the topical disease and better understand the difference between milder and more severe forms of psoriasis. Mapping these cellular neighborhoods could also grant researchers some insight into why people with psoriasis have a higher chance of developing other health problems compared to people without psoriasis.

A research team from NYU Langone used this technique to study immune cells in 25 skin samples provided by 14 volunteers. The participant group included people without psoriasis, those with psoriasis but without active lesions, and those with active psoriasis.

The researchers used a method called spatial transcriptomics to create detailed maps of the samples at a single-cell level. The research team found that immune B cells would travel to the upper layers of the skin in patients with active psoriasis, a feat that prior studies had been unable to achieve. Additionally, the cellular maps showed that both healthy skin and actively inflamed skin had regions of inflammation, indicating that the inflammation associated with psoriasis can also affect the skin and other parts of the body.

The researchers intend to explore how psoriasis and its underlying impact on immune cell activity can impact other tissues and organs under the skin in future studies.

Their cellular maps also allowed them to see increased gene activity within molecular pathways associated with lipid level control and metabolism, factors that are typically known to go haywire in heart conditions and diabetes. In some cases, the altered gene activity occurred in healthy skin that was far from any visible lesions, again highlighting a potential connection between psoriasis and issues in other parts of the body.

The research team said that it is now trying to understand the connection between inflammatory processes and immune cells in the skin with wider disease processes in other regions of the body.

That said, a number of entities such as Jupiter Wellness Inc. JUPW have come up with novel treatments that can help people with psoriasis obtain relief from their symptoms live lives as close to normal as possible.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Jupiter Wellness Inc. JUPW are available in the company's newsroom at https://ibn.fm/JUPW

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