Sharing Innovations in Psoriasis Biologics and Uplifting Women in Dermatology – Dermatology Times

I'm going to walk the team through the head-to-head clinical trial data, but also the real-world data because the reality is a drug may perform beautifully in a controlled clinical trial setting, but the real world is messy, so that drug may not perform in the same way. I'm going to guide the attendees on which drugs offer the best durability of response over time. Spoiler alert: the IL-23's have really held up not only from an efficacy standpoint, but also from a safety standpoint over time, said Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD, in an interview with Dermatology Times at the 2024 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

Shahriari, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine and the associate director of clinical trials at CCD Research in Connecticut, presented pearls from her AAD session, Comparative Efficacy and Relative Ranking of Psoriasis Biologics Using Real-world and Clinical Trial Data. Shahriari reviewed the efficacy of various biologics and systemics for psoriasis in both clinical trials and real-world examples. Shahriari also reviewed the efficacy of biosimilars and their success.

At AAD, Shahriari also participated in a panel during Bristol Myers Squibbs Women Connection Forum. Shahriari spoke alongside Latanya Benjamin, MD, FAAD, FAAP; Alexandra Golant, MD, FAAD; and Jenny Murase, MD, FAAD, to share their personal and professional journeys, as well as advice for women in dermatology.

If there's something that you want, it's okay to ask. I think a lot of times as women, we assume that certain opportunities are given to us based on our credentials, people look at our CV, people look at everything that we've done. But that's not always the case. Sometimes people don't even know that you're interested in activity. I learned that if there was something I was interested in, if I just asked and said, Hey, I just want to throw my name in the hat for XYZ opportunity that's coming up, they've actually looked at me more carefully, and I've been able to partake in that opportunity, said Shahriari when sharing her advice for women wanting to advance in dermatology.

Transcript

Mona Shahriari, MD, FAAD: Hi, my name is Mona Shahriari. I'm an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University and the associate director of clinical trials at CCD research.

Dermatology Times: What pearls are you sharing during your session, "Comparative efficacy and relative ranking of psoriasis biologics using real-world and clinical data?"

Shahriari: At this year's American Academy of Dermatology meeting, I'm going to be doing a talk that looks at the comparative effectiveness of different biologics and systemics for plaque psoriasis, not only in clinical trial data, but also in real-world data, because we have a busy toolbox of medications. And sometimes, it's tough to know which drug do I reach for first, and if that fails, which drug do I reach for a second? I'm going to really walk the team through the head-to-head clinical trial data, but also the real-world data, because the reality is a drug may perform beautifully in a controlled clinical trial setting, but the real world is messy, so that drug may not perform in the same way. I'm going to guide the attendees on which drugs offer the best durability of response over time. Spoiler alert the IL-23's have really held up not only from an efficacy standpoint, but from a safety standpoint over time. And interestingly, some of our biosimilars have proven to be just as good as our originator drugs. So,we'll walk through the nitty gritty of those details.

Dermatology Times: What other topics or sessions are you looking forward to at AAD?

Shahriari: Well, I have to say the late breaker session is always my absolute favorite. I make sure not to miss that because being on the cutting edge of clinical trials and dermatology research, I want to make sure I'm offering my patients the most innovative treatment for their skin disease. So that is a session I do not miss because I want to make sure I know what the rest of 2024 is going to look like. But also, the JAK Inhibitors: A New Frontier, that was a new session that hit the space last year, heavily attended, and JAK inhibitors are revolutionizing how we treat so many different diseases within dermatology. I really want to see what else is out there on the horizon, and how we can bring this amazing therapy to our patients.

Dermatology Times: What is the significance of the Bristol Myers Squibb Women's Forum Panel that you participated in?

Shahriari: Well, I really think this is a landmark connection form that they put together, because the reality is as women not only in dermatology, but also as career women out there, there are definitely some disparities that go on, whether it's related to pay, whether it's related to promotion, or really just getting your name out there and exposure. And really, the purpose of this woman's connection forum is to not only help us gain connections with other women leaders within the field, and have those friendships develop and networking opportunities develop, but also to hear about the struggles of other women. Sometimes when you normalize it, and you have somebody who you look up to tell you, "You know what, I went through the same challenges. And this is how I overcame them." It can really help you feel closer to those individuals. But also, you realize everybody's human, everyone's going to face challenges, and what can you do to overcome those challenges and not let them get you down?

Dermatology Times: What advice do you have for other women in dermatology?

Shahriari: I really think the 2 main pieces of advice I have is to find a good mentorship network. And I'm calling it a network and not a mentor because in different stages of your life and different aspects of your career, you're going to need different people. And that mentor might be a female, that mentor might be a male. You want to find different individuals to include in that network of yours so you'll have individuals to go through. But also, one other piece of advice I have is if there's something that you want, it's okay to ask. I think a lot of times as women, we assume that certain opportunities are given to us based on our credentials, people look at our CV, people look at everything that we've done. But that's not always the case. Sometimes people don't even know that you're interested in an activity. And I really learned that if there was something I was interested in, if I just asked and said, "Hey, I just want to throw my name in the hat for XYZ opportunity that's coming up, "they've actually looked at me more carefully, and I've been able to partake in that opportunity. So that was one of the simplest pieces of advice I got once upon a time. And it's really done well for me.

Dermatology Times: What positive changes have you seen in dermatology?

Shahriari: I think one thing I've noticed is historically, as a specialty, we used to prescribe a lot of topical agents for our patients. But we've had an explosion of oral and injectable medications for the treatment of various diseases. And I've been really pleased to find a lot of my colleagues jumping on the bandwagon to offer patients some of these newer therapies because sometimes as dermatologists we do want to see more safety data, we do want to see more efficacy data. But I think the value of these newer generation medications, not only from an efficacy standpoint, but also from a safety standpoint is becoming more evident. So, to see my colleagues jump on the bandwagon and offer these to the patients is really going to make a difference for our patients for years and years to come.

One other piece that I've seen is there's been a lot of emphasis on diversity within clinical trials and really allowing for our patients with skin of color to be at the forefront of many activities that we do within dermatology. Because the reality is that historically a lot of our patients with skin of color, they were not in our clinical trials. And when these individuals went to dermatology offices, they were either not getting appropriate treatment, or they were being undertreated. misdiagnosed. And many of my contemporaries and colleagues just didn't feel comfortable caring for these individuals, but as the population of the United States diversifies, and those people who are a minority today become more of the majority, I love that within dermatology, we are prioritizing the needs of these individuals so that we can take care of all of our patients across all skin tones moving forward.

[Transcript lightly edited for space and clarity.]

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Sharing Innovations in Psoriasis Biologics and Uplifting Women in Dermatology - Dermatology Times

Officials Hunting Cat Who Fell Into Vat of Horrific Chemicals – Futurism

Some places are not just cat-proof. Cat Scratch Fever

Sometime in the wee hours this past Sunday, a cat exploring a metal plating factory in Japan slipped and fell into a vat of caustic, cancer-causing liquid but managed to escape, leaving paw prints on the floor.

Now, local officials in Fukuyama are warning residents: if you see a "cat that seems abnormal," do not touch the feline because it's covered in dangerous chemicals, theBBC reports.

The incident was discovered on Monday morning, according to NBC News, when employees at the Nomura Plating Fukuyama Factory saw yellow-brown paw prints leading away from a vat filled with hexavalent chromium, an industrial chemical that can damage your skin, respiratory system, and inner organs if you are exposed to it.

On surveillance footage,workers saw a cat leaving the factory on Sunday night, prompting environmental officials to issue warnings to residents to not approach the cat.

Instead of doing some citizen cat wrangling, officials told concerned residents to contact the city administration or local police if they see the unfortunate kitty.

After discovering the cat vat incident, factory officials covered up the vessel with plastic and a company spokesperson said that they'll take future precautions to prevent a similar event.

"The incident woke us up to the need to take measures to prevent small animals like cats from sneaking in, which is something we had never anticipated before," the spokesperson told Agence France-Presse, as reported by NBC.

The chemical in question, hexavalent chromium, is used to harden alloy steel and make it less prone to corrosion. It's extremely toxic and requires workers to don personal protection equipment while handling it.

Knowing the dangerous nature of the chemical leads us to a logical question: is the cat still alive? Nobody has seen the cat since the discovery of the incident, so it's possible that the feline could have died from chemical exposure.

For the more optimistic among us, here's hoping that curiosity has not killed the cat, and our little feline friend has eight more lives up its sleeve.

More on cats: Scientists Discover That Cats Simply Do Not Give a Crap

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Officials Hunting Cat Who Fell Into Vat of Horrific Chemicals - Futurism

SpaceX launches UF/IFAS microbiology experiment to ISS – University of Florida

eating staph infections can be tricky in the best of times. But what happens if you get infected while in space?

Thats the scenario Kelly Rice, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, hopes to help understand. Rices experiment will be launched today, Jan. 30, to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket.

Staph, orStaphylococcus aureus, is a type of bacteria found in the nose or on the skin of up to 30% of humans, but under certain conditions, it can thwart a human bodys physical and immune defenses and cause severe infection. Staph infections can be particularly troublesome for people in close quarters, such as astronauts.

A previous study done by Rice and her colleagues found that the bacteria had the potential to be more dangerous to astronauts while in microgravity.

The current experiment will include growing the bacteria in enclosed canisters to better understand how microgravity affects expression of disease-spreading properties, how the bacteria grows and other factors.

We are grateful to NASA for the opportunity to study this bacteria, and the information gained may apply to other bacteria as well, Rice said. We hope that these results will help guide strategies to maintain astronaut health during long-term space flight missions.

This study was funded by a grant from the NASA Biological Sciences Divisions Space Biology Program.

Meredith Bauer January 30, 2024

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SpaceX launches UF/IFAS microbiology experiment to ISS - University of Florida