Research Progress Related to Psoriatic Arthritis

The NIAMS supports translational and clinical research at universities and other organizations throughout the country that are studying psoriatic arthritis. Researchers are continuing work to understand what causes the disease, which may help them identify new treatment strategies. Following are some examples of the types of studies that are ongoing.

• Research has already uncovered many of the immune molecules involved in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Investigators are using structural and biochemical methods to engineer inhibitors of these molecules, which may form the basis of new medicines.
• Using bioinformatics methods to mine patient records and gene activity datasets, scientists are seeking to identify new therapeutic targets.
• Scientists do not know why some people with psoriasis get psoriatic arthritis, while others do not. They are working to uncover ways to predict which patients will develop psoriatic arthritis so that those at risk can be closely monitored and treated if symptoms arise.
• Other researchers are investigating if treating patients who have psoriasis with biologic medications, which act throughout the body, can prevent the onset of psoriatic arthritis.
• Investigators suspect that internal factors besides a person’s genes may contribute to getting psoriatic arthritis. For example, they are studying the roles played by epigenetics (modifications to DNA that turn genes on and off) and the microbiome (the collection of all the microbes that inhabit the human body).
• People with psoriatic arthritis have a greater risk of certain diseases and conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular problems. Scientists are seeking ways to decrease these risks.