In a study published by Castillo et al in Science Immunology, researchers used spatial transcriptomics—a method of molecular profiling that allows for the assignment of cell types to specific histological sections—in order to better map and stratify disease severity in patients with psoriasis. Researchers highlighted that in skin biopsies taken from patients with psoriasis, the location of fibroblasts and macrophages varied and were more commonly found in the upper levels of the skin in patients with more severe disease; and that gene activity across several molecular pathways associated with lipids and metabolism was increased in those with moderate to severe disease. The team has made their analysis public for any interested researchers: see Spatial-HP-Skin and Spatial transcriptomics stratifies health and psoriatic disease severity by emergent cellular ecosystems on the repository website Zenodo.
June 19, 2023