As reported in Nature Communications, when the team formulated topical gels containing compounds that would inhibit the oxytocin receptor, as well as another promising target, both gels reduced psoriasis inflammation in mice as effectively as an injected drug used by many patients.

“A CRISPR screen at this scale, guided by AI, gave us answers the field has never had access to before, as well as a surprisingly effective potential treatment,” said Shana O. Kelley, president of bioengineering and head of Biohub in Chicago, where scientists are decoding the inflammatory processes that drive a wide range of diseases. Kelley co-led the study with Abdalla M. Abdrabou, lead scientist for Biohub’s Functional Immunogenomics group.