Register for FREE webinar - 'Finding your feet with Palmoplantar Pustulosis (PPP)'

Consultant Dermatologist, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London

Professor Smith is Consultant Dermatologist and Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics at St John’s Institute of Dermatology, King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas’ Hospital. She is lead clinician in national specialised services for adults with adult severe eczema.

Her clinical and research interests focus on inflammatory skin disease and translational medicine, extending from biomarker discovery through to interventional studies (phase II-IV), and involve major national and international collaboration. These include BIOMAP, a European-wide consortium focussed on identifying clinically relevant biomarkers in atopic eczema and psoriasis, and BEACON – a UK wide platform trial of systemic interventions in adult eczema.

Dermatology Registrar, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Gleeson is a Dermatology Registrar, currently based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. As part of his Academic Clinical Fellowship, he is undertaking a research project exploring novel treatment options for palmoplantar pustulosis, in conjunction with King's College London. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of Oxford, before moving to London for his foundation and specialist training.

Talk overview - APRICOT Trial Findings

The APRICOT trial was a multicentre, randomised-controlled trial exploring the use of a drug, anakinra, in the management of palmoplantar pustulosis. The trial was organised and led by the team at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, with the findings published in August 2021. During this talk, we will discuss the results of the trial, and opportunities for further research moving forward.

Professor of Immunogenomics, School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London

Francesca Capon obtained a BSc in biological sciences and PhD in medical genetics from the University of Rome, Italy. Her interest in the genetics of psoriasis brought her to the United Kingdom. She first moved to the University of Leicester as a Wellcome Trust Traveling Research Fellow, then took on a Lectureship at University College London. She joined King’s College London in 2006 as a Lecturer and was subsequently promoted to Senior Lecturer, Reader and most recently Professor. Her main research interest is the study of disease mechanisms underlying pustular forms of psoriasis.

Talk overview - What have we learnt from PPP research studies?

My lab has been working in close partnership with the psoriasis clinic at St John's Institute of Dermatology, examining blood and skin samples donated by individuals living with PPP. This work has uncovered new inflammatory mechanisms that might be targeted for disease treatment.

Nurse Consultant, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Lucy Moorhead is a Nurse Consultant in Inflammatory Skin Disease at St John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. She has been awarded a BA (Hons) in Nursing and an MA in Medical Ethics and Law. She has a strong interest in dermatology education for nurses and is the co-course lead for the Clinical Dermatology Care Course.

She has published over 25 articles in a variety of nursing publications including Nursing Times, Nursing Standard and Dermatological Nursing.

She was awarded the inaugural ‘Psoriasis Nurse of the Year’ award at the British Dermatological Nursing Group Conference in 2016 after nomination from her patients. In 2021 she was awarded the Stone Achievement Award which recognises the work of an individual who has made a consistently great contribution in the field of dermatology nursing. In 2022 she was awarded the Guy's and St Thomas’ Patient’s Choice Award. She is currently a trustee for the British Dermatological Nursing Group.

Talk overview - Practical management tips for PPP

My talk will aim to provide a brief overview of why and how to correctly use topical corticosteroids and moisturisers (emollients) and give practical tips to help manage palmoplantar pustulosis.

Chief Executive, The Psoriasis Association

Helen McAteer has been the Chief Executive of the Psoriasis Association since 2010. She has frequently represented the patient experience of psoriasis at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Scottish Medicines Consortium, amongst other regulators and national bodies, including NHS England.

She oversees the Psoriasis Association’s research programme and has been a patient representative lead on numerous psoriasis research projects and consortia. These include PsoProtect and PsoProtectMe (the Psoriasis Registry for Outcomes, Therapy and Epidemiology of COVID-19 infection), Psoriasis Stratification to Optimise Relevant Therapy (PSORT), Identification and Management of Psoriasis-related Comorbidity (IMPACT), and the Priority Setting Partnership Top 10 Research Priorities for Psoriasis in the UK.

Working with colleagues at King's College London she was delighted that the Psoriasis Association was able to award a £1 million grant in 2020 to the Biomarkers and Stratification to Optimise outcomes in Psoriasis (BSTOP) project to answer some of the Top 10 research priorities.

Independent Prescriber, Specialist Pharmacist - Dermatology & Allergy, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Arlene has been practicing hospital pharmacy for 13 years, and became a Specialist Dermatology & Allergy Pharmacist in 2013. Arlene has a special interest in psoriasis and immunotherapy, qualifying as an Independent Prescriber in this field. Arlene is a member of the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) Clinical Guideline Group and has recently been involved in the update of the Guidelines for Biologic therapy in Psoriasis (2020). Arlene started a national network for pharmacists working within dermatology across the UK in the hope that this can be a platform to share expertise and best practice.

Julie is 56 years old and works part time. She was diagnosed with palmoplantar pustulosis at the end of 2015. She was referred to her local dermatology department and treated with ciclosporin and topical creams, however these treatments did not alleviate her symptoms.

Julie was then referred to Guy's Hospital and accepted onto the APRICOT trial, where she received the placebo. After completing the APRICOT trial, Julie was placed on a second trial, which was a success for her initially, after the loading dose. However, by the end of 2021, the treatment was no longer proving effective for her.

She is now in the early stages of receiving Tremfya (Guselkumab) injections, which are keeping the worst of her symptoms at bay.