710143Development of PsoraMed for the topical methotrexate treatment of psoriasisClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKPsoriasis is an autoimmune-mediated chronic disease that reportedly affects 2 % of the world’s population. To date it has been difficult to treat with majority of the successful treatments being systemically active such as methotrexate (MTX) and acitretin, administered orally and biologics, administered by injection. All have serious side effects and although topical treatments have been developed to overcome these issues, none are used when the condition passes its early stages. MTX has demonstrated excellent efficacy for psoriasis however oral administration of MTX is associated with side effects such as liver and kidney disease and gastrointestinal irritation. However, currently there are no approved topical formulations that contain MTX mainly because it is believed that therapeutic levels of MTX at the pathological site are hard to achieve with topical administration. Development of a product that could deliver sufficient levels of MTX to the target site would significantly reduce systemic toxicity and increase patient compliance by reducing treatment times associated with current topical medications. A promising novel strategy to enhance skin permeation is the application of superficial heat in conjunction with chemical enhancers e.g. MedTherm. Superficial heat in combination with certain chemical enhancers results in increased drug delivery to the skin without elevated systemic absorption by temporarily increasing barrier fluidity and drug diffusivity making it easier for the MTX to permeate. The applied heat also provides a relief to itching associated with the psoriasis, a benefit not offered by other topical products. As such, the overall objective of this project is to develop a topical MTX treatment for psoriasis using this novel combination of heat generation and chemical enhancers. Inevitably, this will contribute to reducing the financial burden to the NHS, as well as society in the form of “sick days” taken due to the debilitating condition.