Improving Disease Severity

Wake Forest University (WFU)

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Psoriasis; Alopecia Areata; Polymorphous Light Eruption

Treatments: Other: Lumiton yarn shirt; Other: Lumiton yarn hat; Other: Lumiton yarn sleeve

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05391178

IRB00084854

Details and patient eligibility

About

Phototherapy, including ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) light, has been used to treat a number of dermatologic conditions. Psoriasis is one of the most common conditions treated with phototherapy, in which phototherapy is often indicated for extensive disease with contraindications for other systemic treatments. The mechanism of action of phototherapy for the treatment of psoriasis is not completely understood; however, it is known that UVB light induces apoptosis of pathogenic T cells and keratinocytes, which may reduce the overactive immune response and epidermal hyperproliferation. Phototherapy has shown some efficacy for other diseases, such as alopecia areata (AA) and polymorphous light eruption (PMLE). However, phototherapy is not always an accessible treatment option for patients due to cost or lack of time.

Full description

Recent advancements in nanotechnology have led to the development of medical devices (lasers and LED devices) with unique phototherapy properties that emit radiation in the infrared wavelengths, allowing patients to benefit from the effects of phototherapy treatment in a more convenient way. Preclinical studies demonstrated the positive effects of infrared radiation exposure on the skin including, increased collagen synthesis and expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). Other studies suggested possible antimicrobial effects from infrared radiation, with decreased colonization of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae on the skin after exposure. Compared to other fabric technology, such as Far-Infrared (FIR) fabric technology that reflects body heat, fabric made from Lumiton yarn converts external light in the UV and visible spectrum and emits light in the red and near-infrared spectrum for the body. Lumiton yarn absorbs energy from 350 nm to 600 nm (the light spectrum from UV to visible red light) and emit energy from 600 to 1000 nm (red, near-infrared spectrum). The Lumiton yarn contains red/NIR light-emitting dyes. The effectiveness of the technology is proportional to the intensity of the light, with its peak effectiveness under sunlight.

Enrollment: 13 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adult participants ≥18 years of age
• Participants who live in the US,
• Participants who are diagnosed with mild-to-severe AA, PMLE, or psoriasis
• Participants have sufficient command of the English language

Exclusion criteria

• Participants less than the age of 18
• Participants who do not live in the US
• Participants who are not diagnosed with mild to severe AA, PMLE, or psoriasis
• Participants without a sufficient command of the English language
• Participants with concurrent medical conditions that are at risk of confounding the study outcomes
• Participants currently using concomitant phototherapy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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13 participants in 3 patient groups

Psoriasis

Active Comparator group

Description:

Psoriasis participants will be provided sleeves made from the Lumiton yarn to cover their arms. The participants will be instructed to wear the sleeves made from Lumiton yarn daily for 12 weeks both indoors and outdoors.

Treatment:

Other: Lumiton yarn sleeve

Alopecia Areata

Active Comparator group

Description:

Alopecia areata participants will be provided a hat made from the Lumiton yarn. The participants will be instructed to wear the hat made from Lumiton yarn daily for 12 weeks both indoors and outdoors.

Treatment:

Other: Lumiton yarn hat

Polymorphous Light Eruption

Active Comparator group

Description:

Polymorphous light eruption participants will be provided a shirt made from the Lumiton yarn. The participants will be instructed to wear the shirt made from Lumiton yarn daily for 12 weeks both indoors and outdoors.

Treatment:

Other: Lumiton yarn shirt