An experimental, biologic treatment, brodalumab, achieved 100 percent reduction in psoriasis symptoms in twice as many patients as a second, commonly used treatment, according to the results of a multi-center clinical trial led by Mount Sinai researchers and published online on October 1, 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The article is titled “Phase 3 Studies Comparing Brodalumab with Ustekinumab in Psoriasis.” The study drug, brodalumab, is a monoclonal antibody, akin to proteins built by the human immune system to recognize and block specific target molecules. A therapeutic antibody, brodalumab was designed to block the function of the immune signaling protein interleukin 17 (IL-17) (image). If not blocked, IL-17 docks into specifically shaped proteins, IL-17 receptors, to pass on signals that contribute to abnormal, psoriatic inflammation. "Brodalumab is the only IL-17 receptor antagonist in clinical development," said Mark Lebwohl, M.D., Sol and Clara Kest Professor and Chairman of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. "Studies demonstrate that brodalumab binds to the IL-17 receptor, thus preventing IL-17 and its partner molecules or ligands from doing so, to counter inflammatory diseases. When it comes to complete clearing, our results are better than any previously published and confirm that targeting the IL-17 receptor is highly effective in the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Treatment was so effective that many patients did not have a dot of psoriasis left on their bodies." Plaque psoriasis is a non-contagious chronic disease in which the immune system causes skin cells to grow at an accelerated rate.Login Or Register To Read Full Story