In the clinical arena, we have recently completed two translational studies in patients with severe psoriisis. In the first study, we treated patients with human interleukin-10 (rhIL-10), a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine. rhIL-10, when compared to placebo, induced modest improvement in psoriatic lesions. However, this clinical response was not maintained over the 12 week study period, despite laboratory evidence that pro-inflammatory cytokine production by blood cells was continually suppressed by rhIL-10. Recently, we have completed a second study in patients with severe psoriaisis. We administered Micellar Paclitaxel to 10 patients with severe and previously treatment-resistant psoriaisis. All 10 showed 50-75% improvement in their skin disease with minimal side effects. As was done in the rhIL-10 study, experiments were performed in my laboratory on patient samples to help gain insight into potential biologic correlates of clinical efficacy.
