Over 5 million people suffer from psoriasis, a noncontiguous skin disorder which can be characterized by the following symptoms: raised and thickened patches of red skin, inflammation, itchiness, and silvery, white scales. Sadly, treatments on the market today often affect lifestyles as well as overall health of psoriasis sufferers; death is a rare but possible side effect as well. The need for new treatments may be fulfilled soon, thanks to the Human Genome Project.

With the twenty-first century came new science developments in the dermatology field, specifically for psoriasis; the Human Genome Project finally conquered the sequencing of the human genome, the first complete map of our genetic makeup. Although it is in its baby stages and cannot immediately give us the answers we search for, we expect that the future will hold a great deal for us in terms of medicine in general.

The research is there, but it may take some time to actually help psoriasis sufferers. The hope is that scientists will eventually learn which genes correlate with psoriasis, allowing a better understanding of the disease and, ultimately, the cure.

One of the best things that the scientists found is that the traditional theory that humans have close to 100,000 genes seems to be highly overestimated. The Human Genome Project identified about 32,000 genes and expect that after all is said and done, there will only be between 32,000 and 40,000. This relates a much shorter time period for the testing and eventually understanding that will be necessary for medicine to use the study to help psoriasis patients.

Psoriasis is a 'multi factorial' (converts two or more variables or attributes to a single attribute) disease. This means that psoriasis and other multi-factor diseases are known to have a genetic component that involves many genes and mutations as well as various environmental factors. Some diseases are single-gene diseases, which means that only one gene need be mutated to create the disease.

Great strides have already been taken in genetic components of psoriasis. Many genes have already caught the eye of scientists as being guilty and others are currently under suspicion. Much more information is needed for scientists to know the next step to take in finding treatments and/or a cure for psoriasis. Much of this information will hopefully be gained through animal models (if psoriasis can reliably be reproduced) and through collection of data where epidemics (high number of cases in a relatively small area) occur.

Psoriasis tends to run in families, only 4% of people whose parents do not have the disease get psoriasis, while 28% of people who have one parent with psoriasis get it, and 67% of people get psoriasis if both of their parents have it. Another point in favor of the genetic theories is that studies between identical and fraternal twins have a much higher rate of psoriasis in both twins when they are identical.

It has been determined that the gene that affects psoriasis the most in on a strand that is critical to the immune system. Some of the newest trials, which have yet to be federally approved are based on this theory, which has to do with the correlation of activated cells (T-cells and antibodies) and onsets of psoriasis outbreaks.

The Human Genome Project has given hope to psoriasis sufferers as well as researchers and medical professionals. While the map does not tell us exactly which genes are responsible for psoriasis and how they might interact with environmental factors, they have given researchers a place to begin and studies are already under way and/or waiting federal approval for new psoriasis treatments. A correlation found between two forms of white blood cells (T-cells and antibodies) is the base for these studies.