Somatic evolution in normal and psoriatic human skin
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Somatic evolution in normal and psoriatic human skin
IRAS ID
286843
Contact name
George Martin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Wellcome Sanger Institute
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Somatic mutations are mutations that are not inherited from parents but which accumulate in all human cells as we age. While somatic mutations have long been recognised to cause cancer, their role in the pathogenesis of other diseases is not well understood.
Psoriasis, is characterised by chronic inflammation of epithelial tissue, in this case skin. To characterise the somatic mutation landscape in normal and psoriatic skin we will use skin biopsies collected by collaborators from affected and unaffected regions from up to 150 psoriasis patients. We will isolate skin cells and tissue resident immune cells and submit those to sequencing to identify the mutations carried by these cells.Patients with psoriasis are at modestly increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancers, and at greater risk still of lymphomas, compared with the population at large. This project will help us understand the cancer risk in psoriasis but may also reveal novel pathogenic mechanisms for the disease and general mechanisms of tissue remodelling as a result of exposure to chronic inflammation.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0244
Date of REC Opinion
14 Aug 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion