Take Part in Research

We want to find out if MOVE SMART, new lifestyle programme for patients with psoriasis, can help psoriasis and other conditions linked with psoriasis. MOVE SMART has been developed by dermatologists, scientists and patients with psoriasis and can be followed from your home or workplace.

The study involves:

• All participants following MOVE SMART (half during the first 12-weeks and half after 24-weeks).
• No appointments at the Research Centre. This study can be followed from your home or workplace.
• Contact with the research group throughout the study.
• Completing questionnaires about your psoriasis, general health and what you like / dislike about the study.

We are looking for people who are/have:

• Aged between 18 and 60
• Psoriasis that started before the age of 40
• Some psoriasis on their skin
• Psoriatic arthritis (and those who do not have psoriatic arthritis)

This study is not suitable for people who have / are:

• Unable to rise from sitting to standing and walk around a room (independently or aided by a stick or trolly) at a steady pace
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Severe heart or chest problems
• Already following physical activity guidelines

How to Get Involved


The study has been given favourable ethical approval by the NHS research ethics committee.
If you would like to volunteer or find out more, please contact Dr Roze Witkam by email (movesmart@manchester.ac.uk) or scan the QR code below.

You will receive a gift voucher as a thank-you for your time.

About the project:

Russ Cowper, who has suffered with psoriatic arthritis for nearly 40 years, is urging people with psoriasis to take part in the HPOS study. Researchers are trying to find out what triggers psoriatic arthritis, which affects 1 in 3 people with psoriasis, and to prevent its development in the long term.

Russ is Vice-Chair of The Psoriasis Association and was elected in June 2024, having joined the Board of Trustees in 2022. You can read more about Russ’ role as Vice-Chair here.

My name is Russ Cowper. I am 57 years old, and I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when I was in my late teens, although I can trace it back to when I was 12 years old. Following a throat infection called Quincy, which can be a trigger for auto-immune diseases, I developed psoriasis around my hairline, but didn't really give it much thought.

A few years later I collapsed one morning while getting out of bed for work. Both my ankles had swollen up overnight and I struggled to walk. I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis but had no idea what PsA was. I was off work for 11 weeks and during that time patches of psoriasis started to develop on my back and torso. While my ankles got better for a time, my skin got worse and worse.

Eventually I had no option but to give up work and decided to further my education with the aim of becoming a teacher. Sadly, I never finished as I became quite ill and ended up in what was to be the first of 29 stays in hospital.

Psoriatic arthritis caused significant pain in my joints, and I was continually in and out of hospital. In total I have spent nearly 3 years of my life on hospital wards trying to find effective treatments. The only joints that have escaped flares are my elbows. At one point I was in hospital 100% covered in psoriasis and wracked in pain. The pain together with the impact on my work and social life means that I have struggled psychologically.

I was put on systemic medicines which aim to dampen the immune system but ended up back in hospital when they caused me liver and kidney problems.

The arrival of new medicines called biologics changed my life. I still had the occasional stay in hospital, but flares were becoming rarer and less severe. I am now on my ninth biologic medicine and whilst I am not 100% healthy, I can do what my mates do. I have even been able to travel to Germany and Spain to watch the love of my life Manchester City FC in Champions League games!

As I’ve become healthier, I can do more patient advocacy to help educate and support people with psoriasis and PsA. It is why I am encouraging people to get involved in the HPOS study, looking into the reasons why PsA develops in psoriasis patients.

How to get involved

Please help and sign up at this link: https://www.hpos.study/

What participants are asked to do:

Taking part is simple. Participants, who are over 18 years of age and diagnosed with psoriasis, but not with psoriatic arthritis, will be asked to complete an online questionnaire every 6 months. Over a period of 3 years, the responses will be monitored and from the results the researchers will be able to identify which patients will go on to develop arthritis. The long-term aim is to try to prevent the development of arthritis before it occurs.

We are researchers at the University of Bristol. We want to better understand the experiences of people with eczema, acne and psoriasis, particularly in the context of their skin colour and ethnic background. We would like to invite you to share your experiences by completing this short online survey.

This is open to any anyone over the age of 16 with eczema, acne or psoriasis. We would love to hear from people of all skin tones.

To access the survey, please click on the following link: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/socx-study

Further information, including a participant information sheet and our contact details, is available via the survey link above.

We are looking for individuals with personal/ carer experience in psoriasis (skin/ joint or both) to help shape a potentially groundbreaking study. This research will explore the impact of psychological interventions, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MBCT) and Clinical Hypnotherapy, alongside standard medical treatments, on improving psoriasis outcomes.

As a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) contributor, you will:

• Share your insights to ensure the research is relevant and patient-focused.
• Help refine the design and delivery of the study, ensuring it meets the needs of people living with psoriasis.
• Assist in making study materials clear, accessible, and meaningful.
• Contribute to raising awareness about the importance of psychological well-being in managing chronic conditions.

Who Can Join?

We welcome:

• Adults with lived experience of psoriasis or psoriatic arthiritis or both, of any severity including historical diagnosis.
• Caregivers, advocates, or those with an interest in improving healthcare approaches for psoriasis.
• No previous research experience is necessary—just your perspective and willingness to contribute.

What’s In It for You?

• Be part of impactful research that could improve lives.
• Share your views and experiences in a supportive environment.

How to Get Involved

If you’re interested in joining our PPI group or would like more information, please contact:

Pankhuri Dudani via pankhuridudani@gmail.com

Virtual Reality is a rapidly developing technology offering exciting opportunities for entertainment, education, and work. However, many VR devices require full hand mobility to operate which limits its access to a range of people. We want to address this limitation by first understanding the accessibility of freehand virtual reality interactions (such as grabbing and manipulating virtual objects) for people with mild to moderate upper limb motor impairments, such as arthritis.

The study will consist of an initial questionnaire, a set of simple physical measures of participants’ hand functions (grip/pinch strength and range of motion), a range of tasks in a virtual reality environment, and an interview about the experience. The study will last approximately 1.5-2 hours. Participants will be compensated £20 for their time.

Eligibility criteria:

• Aged 16 or over
• Mild to moderate upper limb motor impairment
• No cognitive impairment
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
• Fluent in English

Prior to participation, there is a screening questionnaire for safety purposes and an initial screening call to ensure eligibility and discuss travel arrangements.

For more information and to request to take part, participants can contact the researcher Lauren Pococke via LSP40@bath.ac.uk

Alternatively, you can sign up for the initial screening call via this form.

We are looking for adults with palmoplantar pustulosis, diagnosed by a dermatologist, to take part in the JAKPPPOT trial. During the trial, participants will take a tablet once-a-day for 8 weeks. This tablet will be a janus kinase inhibitor, a new group of drugs that suppresses the immune system. The drug is called upadacitinib (its brand name is ‘Rinvoq’).

Participants will attend our clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Trust, London Bridge, regularly during the 8-week trial, and we will take blood samples at each visit. We will also invite participants to take part in a voluntary interview before and after the 8 weeks of treatment to understand their thoughts on the tablet and the trial more generally.

Participants will need to be over the age of 18, and cannot be pregnant or breast-feeding. Participants will need to stop all UV light related treatment or systemic treatment (medications taken by mouth or injected) that they are currently taking, but they can continue using certain topical treatments (creams/ointments).

Please contact Dr David Gleeson (Principal Investigator) at JAKPPPOT@gstt.nhs.uk to find out more about this study.

If you live with psoriasis and use social media, we want to hear from you.

Your valuable feedback can help shape this study!

Find out more by getting in touch with Mani via email: emmanuel.toni@uwe.ac.uk

Researchers are currently organising focus groups to explore the experiences of patients with anogenital psoriasis.

Anogenital psoriasis (in comparison to other types of psoriasis which may be more visible) is not often talked about by patients and doctors, and we have less information and evidence on for example on the best treatments for this condition. We would like to gain insight from patients living with the condition via focus groups to help inform a future clinical trial looking at the best treatment options.

Recruitment criteria

• Aged 18 or over
• A diagnosis of anogenital psoriasis by a dermatology specialst
• Willing to discuss your experiences via a small online focus group (3-5 people) lasting 1- 2 hours, held on Microsoft Teams (can be anonymous if preferable)

Research team contact email: psoar@nottingham.ac.uk

***UPDATE - Please note that Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this study are now closed to recruitment. Recruitment for Part 4 of the study has not yet commenced – details will be announced in due course.***

This is an opportunity for 12-17 year old patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The trial, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company, AbbVie, compares the treatment efficacy and safety of Risankizumab (Skyrizi) vs Ustekinumab (Stelara), two biologic therapies. All participants are guaranteed active treatment, regardless of whether they have had systemic therapy before.

Recruitment criteria (list not exclusive):

• Aged between 12 to < 18 years at the time of enrolment
• Have had a diagnosis of chronic plaque psoriasis for at least 6 months
• Have moderate to severe psoriasis, defined as ≥ 10% Body Surface Area (BSA) psoriasis involvement with a static Physician’s Global Assessment (sPGA) score of ≥ 3, or Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) ≥ 12


No history of:

• Erythrodermic psoriasis, generalised or localised pustular psoriasis, medication-induced or medication exacerbated psoriasis, or new onset guttate psoriasis;
• Active skin disease other than psoriasis that could interfere with the assessment of psoriasis;
• Clinically significant drug or alcohol abuse within the last 6 months;
• An allergic reaction or hypersensitivity to a biologic agent or its excipients;
• A latex allergy;
• An organ transplant that requires continued immunosuppression;
• Any malignancy except for successfully treated non-melanoma skin cancer or localised carcinoma in situ of the cervix.


No evidence of:

• Hepatitis B (HB) (hepatitis B virus [HBV]) or hepatitis C (hepatitis C virus [HCV]) infection;
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), defined as confirmed positive anti-HIV antibody (HIV Ab) test;
• Genetic deficiency in IL-12/IL-23;


The following centres are open for recruitment into the study (please email the investigators directly):

• West Ambulatory Care Hospital, Glasgow: Areti.Makrygeorgou@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
• Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey: sara.sherif@nhs.net
• Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Devon: naomi.goldstraw@nhs.net
• Derriford Hospital, Plymouth: thurein.newin@nhs.net
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London: please email Eva.Hilger@gstt.nhs.uk or call 07917217601


Dr Wedad Abdelrahman, Chief Investigator (wedad.abdelrahman@gstt.nhs.uk)
Prof Carsten Flohr, Study Investigator (carsten.flohr@kcl.ac.uk)
Consultant Paediatric Dermatologists

St John’s Institute of Dermatology,
Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust