Psoriasis and the Circadian Timing System (Version 1)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A pilot study to compare the response of psoriasis to narrow-band UVB phototherapy in the morning and afternoon.

• IRAS ID

  206401

• Contact name

  Nick J Reynolds

• Sponsor organisation

  Newcastle Joint Research Office

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 11 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Psoriasis is a common skin disease. Research has shown that skin undergoes cyclical variation in cell division and sensitivity to ultraviolet light. This study has been constructed to determine if this is the case in patients with psoriasis.

  Study participants will be 30 adults with psoriasis requiring phototherapy treatment recruited through the dermatology department at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne. All patients will be capable of providing informed consent. Each patient will complete questionnaires on sleep quality and depression. Blood will be taken at the start of the study for storage and for future analysis of potential biomarkers. Participants will be given containers for urine (to assess melatonin) and saliva samples (to assess cortisol levels), to be returned at the final appointment.

  Participants will have a morning and afternoon appointment for three days. On the first day, their skin’s sensitivity to ultraviolet light will be measured. The following day this testing will be completed, and based on this result ultraviolet light will be applied to the patient’s skin. On the final day a small biopsy will be taken from the irradiated skin and from a similar area of skin without phototherapy exposure. The patients will require four biopsies. These biopsies will be assessed for variation in skin turnover and ultraviolet light sensitivity.

  After this they will proceed to their prescribed course of phototherapy.

  The study will last nine days per patient and in total, data will be collected for four months, with two patients entering the study weekly. This study will be funded by the North East Skin Research Fund and the Psoriasis Association, with the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust acting as sponsor.

• REC name

  North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  17/NE/0247

• Date of REC Opinion

  1 Aug 2017

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion