Mapping Immune Cell Neighborhoods in Psoriasis to Understand its Course

Posted onJune 13th, 2023byLawrence Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Location, location, location. While most of us know this phrase as a real estate adage, locationspecifically that of various cell typesis becoming a key area of investigation in studying human disease. New techniques are enabling scientists to understand where certain cells are with respect to one another and how changes in their activity may affect your overall health.

In one recent example of the power of this approach, NIH-funded researchers used a sophisticated method to map immune cells within human skin to get a more detailed picture of psoriasis, a common, chronic disease in which the immune system becomes overactive leading to skin inflammation. People with psoriasis develop patches of itchy, red, and flaky lesions on their skin, which can be mild to severe. For reasons that arent entirely clear, theyre also at higher risk for developing a wide range of other health conditions, including a unique form of arthritis known as psoriatic arthritis, diabetes, mental health issues, heart problems, and more.

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