According to Science Daily, researchers have discovered a cell that may be play an important role in psoriasis, a skin disease that causes patches of red scaly skin.

The cell implicated is Th17, a recently discovered immune cell. Research shows that in comparision to healthy individuals, who have very little of Th17 in the skin, individuals with psoriasis have a much higher concentration of Th17 in their skin. The belief is that although everyone has a little bit of Th17 going into their skin, people with psoriasis have a lot higher amounts and in that amount, it becomes pathogenic, or disease-causing.

This new research is different compared to old beliefs that it was a different T cell, Th1 that was the primary factor in the disease.

For more in depth information, visit Science Daily, at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080302163817.htm