Development of a Multibiologic Failure Database for Psoriasis
Grantee: Allison Kranyak, M.D.
Institution: The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
Grant Mechanism: Psoriatic Disease Research Fellowship
Funding Amount: $49,999
Project Start Date: July 1, 2024
Project End Date: June 30, 2025
Status: Active
Keywords: Psoriasis, Biologics, Disease Etiology, Drug Therapy, Biomarkers
Project Summary:
Plaque psoriasis is a common skin condition with red, itchy, scaly patches of skin. Moderate to severe psoriasis can be treated with injectable drugs known as biologic agents, which are often very effective. However, some patients don’t get better even after using multiple biologic agents. Certain risk factors such as severity of psoriasis, age, genetics, and other factors can influence how someone responds to biologic therapy. We will work with dermatologists to find out what are the variables that make a person with psoriasis less likely to respond to biologic therapy. This information can help dermatologists make more informed decisions when prescribing biologic agents and more effectively guide treatment for patients with psoriasis.
How will your project help improve the lives of the 125 million affected by psoriatic disease?
This project will help identify the reasons why some psoriasis patients fail multiple biologic therapies. By doing so, it will provide new treatment strategies to select the right medication for the right patient. It will also promote holistic care that considers patient co-morbidities and social factors as important factors in the patient experience.
Why is psoriatic disease research important to you, personally? What role will this award play in your research efforts or career development?
Every time I see a psoriasis patient in clinic, my passion for helping these patients grows. Many patients ask me about lifestyle factors and psoriasis – diet, smoking, mindfulness, and more. With research, I have the ability to explore these questions. Indeed, psoriatic disease research is crucial to my development as a dermatologist and ability to best care for my patients. By developing a database for patients who have experienced multi-biologic failure, we can also look at common environmental and several other factors among these patients. As we strive for a cure, I want to help patients live daily their lives in a way that could help their psoriasis based on high-quality research.
Researcher Profile:
Allison Kranyak, MD is currently the Psoriasis Fellow at the University of California San Francisco, where she sees patients clinically and serves as sub-investigator on numerous clinical trials related to psoriasis and inflammatory skin disease. She attended Davidson College for her undergraduate studies, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Chemistry. She then attended medical school at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville where she became passionate about learning how lifestyle factors affect disease, and graduated with "Distinction in Lifestyle Medicine." Finally, she completed an Internal Medicine internship at Dartmouth Medical Center before joining UCSF. Allison truly loves caring for patients on an individual level, and has strived to integrate her love of lifestyle medicine with her love of dermatology, performing research on co-morbidities, lifestyle factors such as diet and sleep, and psoriasis. She strives to continue to improve the lives of those living with psoriatic disease utilizing both groundbreaking medications and an integrative, holistic approach.