Translational skin immunology

Psoriasis is a very common form of skin inflammation which can also associate with problems at other parts of the body, including the gut and the joints. We now know that a type of immune cell (“T cell”) is involved in contributing to the inflammation in the skin and elsewhere. T cells are part of our defence against infections but under certain circumstances they can also drive the inflammation. However, we know little about the factors that are triggering the T cells. This is an important question if we are to develop new approaches to treatment in the future. We have recently found evidence that the T cells can respond to certain inflammatory fats (“lipids”) which are present in psoriasis skin. In the proposed work, we will build on this discovery to define the nature of the lipids and the responding T cells in order to understand the disease and discover new treatments. We work very closely with patient groups and collaborators and utilise emerging technologies to gain insights to these disease pathways in the skin. By studying events before and after treatment, we will obtain a deep understanding of the key events which drive inflammation. The discoveries are then progressed towards new treatment approaches in the future.