Ultraviolet light is a proven treatment for psoriasis, one of humanity’s oldest known diseases. Sunshine can also beat back the chronic autoimmune disorder of the skin. But explaining light’s therapeutic effects has been difficult.
A new clinical trial in the Rockefeller University Hospital is trying to find out more. A team of researchers have recruited the first of what will be 20 patients who will visit the hospital three times a week for up to four months to receive narrowband ultraviolet light B (UVB) treatment. Patients will give skin and blood samples as the treatment takes its course, giving the scientists the possibility to study what is happening at the molecular level as the skin gets better.
UVB therapy is known to kill off T cells, which are partly to blame for the inflammation caused by the disease. For years, Lowes has been systematically accounting for the cell types and proteins involved in the disease.
[Source]
Chapter: Health :: 10 August 2009
