Research in psoriasis doesn't always make headlines -- or win funding -- like discoveries in cancer or heart disease. What's more, studies are hamstrung by the one-of-a-kind nature of human skin. Unlike many other diseases, experiments on mice or other animals aren't very helpful.
In recent years, research into other autoimmune diseases brought new insights about the immune system. It turns out that some of the problems in those conditions are active in psoriasis, as well.