While it can start at any age, PsA often presents in patients between the ages of 30 and 50 years. On average, symptoms begin to present approximately 10 years after a psoriasis diagnosis. While it is less common, people can develop [PsA] without having psoriasis.
Early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of PsA are critical to relieving pain and inflammation and helping to prevent joint damage. Furthermore, delaying treatment by as little as six months can result in permanent joint damage, according to studies.
The PsA treatments we have currently were barely a dream a generation ago. But curing PsA remains such a dream. One big reason: the lack of a diagnostic test. NPF launched the PsA Diagnostic Test Grant to fill that gap.
This grant program funded six first-year, proof-of-concept proposals that have the potential to achieve this goal within five years. Grant recipients include Vinod Chandran, M.B., B.S., M.D., D.M., Ph.D.; Bingjian Feng, Ph.D.; Wilson Liao, M.D.; Ananta Paine, Ph.D.; Siba Raychaudhuri, M.D.; and Jose Scher, M.D. Awardees will have the opportunity to submit a competitive renewal application for up to four years of additional funding.
NPF is determined to contribute to the creation of a PsA diagnostic test as the first step on the road to a cure. A diagnostic test will dramatically reduce the guesswork and the long delays in reaching a diagnosis and beginning treatment.
Driven by NPF’s 2020-2024 strategic plan, the PsA project, which the PsA Diagnostic Test Grant is a part of, focuses on four areas of impact:
- Decreasing the time to diagnosis
- Helping those with PsA better manage their disease
- Reducing barriers to health care and treatments
- Improving understanding of PsA symptoms, disease management and impact on patient quality of life among health care providers