The National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) launched the Psoriasis Prevention Initiative (PPI) grant mechanism in 2020 with the aim to identify an intervention that will prevent the onset of psoriatic disease, disease relapse, or relevant comorbidities. This intervention would overcome many of the obstacles that continue to challenge patients as well as health care providers and significantly improve the lives of those affected by psoriatic disease.

NPF will invest an estimated $6.5 million in PPI grants over the next five years to accomplish these goals.

The first stage of PPI funding aimed to create and support collaborations among clinical researchers, outline a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary, team-based virtual cluster approach, and explain how this approach will have a high likelihood of identifying an intervention.

The PPI grant program funded three first-year, proof-of-concept proposals in the amount of $250,000 that had the potential to achieve this goal within five years. Grant recipients included Joel Gelfand, M.D., MSCE, Johann Gudjonsson, M.D., Ph.D., and Christopher Ritchlin, M.D.

Awardees underwent a competitive renewal application for subsequent funding in which Joel Gelfand, M.D., MSCE, and the CP3 virtual cluster were selected for subsequent years of funding. Dr. Gelfand’s project, "Prevention of cardiovascular disease and mortality in patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (CP3): Translating guidelines of care to better outcomes for patients with psoriatic disease", will receive $1,500,000 per year, for years 2 – 5, contingent on satisfactory progress.

Grants not selected for renewal received $1.1 million in subsequent funding from NIH entities based on proof-of-concept data gained during the initial NPF PPI investment.

The initiative was developed in partnership with the PPI Steering Committee, made up of members of the NPF’s Scientific Advisory Committee, Medical Board, Board of Directors, bench and translational researchers, clinical advisors, and patient constituents.