The goal of this project is to develop a unique skin coating formulation for use as a combination occlusive dressing and drug delivery vehicle as a topical treatment for psoriasis, a disease which affects 1% to 3% of the world s population. Currently used occlusive dressings are associated with local side effects and have limited patient acceptability because of poor cosmetic properties.
The specific aims of the project are * to optimize skin coating formulations for use as a sustained-release steroid treatment for psoriasis * to evaluate skin coating formulations with encapsulated steroids in vivo in an animal model * to evaluate skin coating formulations with encapsulated steroids in vivo in a human clinical trial on psoriasis patients.
The cost of psoriasis care in the United States is estimated to be between $1.6 and $3.2 billion annually. By combining occlusion and drug delivery in a convenient, cost effective one-step process, we seek to improve outcomes and decrease the cost of treatment.
