Biologic advances reported in the treatment of psoriasis.

The article reports that recently approved and investigational biologic therapies are changing the way dermatologists treat psoriasis, a chronic disease that physically and emotionally challenges 4.5 million Americans. Research has shown that the activation of T-cells, a type of white blood cell, is the key immune system trigger in the development of psoriasis. Once activated, these cells release cytokines - chemicals used by the immune system to communicate messages. In psoriasis patients, these cytokines signal skin cells to reproduce and mature at an accelerated rate, thereby setting off other reactions that lead to psoriatic lesions forming on the skin.