Psoriasis: Future research needs and goals for the twenty-first century

The research needs and goals for therapy of psoriasis should be consonant. The research should identify targets for treatment, may produce an animal model, and conceivably gene therapy. Therapies should embrace these observations but need to undergo trials in a way that is relevant to real life (ie, in comparison with current clinical practice); with long-term objectives; and with realistic outcome measures. Research goals should, in no small way, be determined by the patients themselves working in close collaboration with scientists, clinicians, and industry. It is only by this concerted approach that progress can be made. It should be borne in mind, however, that serendipity and not reductionism has perhaps been the greatest driver of change.