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Immunogenetic Profiling of Goeckerman Therapy in the Treatment of Psoriasis Vulgaris

Immunogenetic Profiling of Goeckerman Therapy in the Treatment of Psoriasis Vulgaris

Status
Terminated
Phases
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03662685
Enrollment
4
Registered
2018-09-07
Start date
2018-08-01
Completion date
2024-05-31
Last updated
2025-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Psoriasis, Psoriasis Vulgaris

Keywords

goeckerman, phototherapy, psoriasis

Brief summary

This study examines the effect of Goeckerman therapy (a combination of phototherapy and topical crude coal tar), crude coal tar alone, and phototherapy alone on the immunologic and genetic environment within psoriatic skin lesions.

Detailed description

This is a three-arm, open-label study to examine the effect of Goeckerman therapy. Goeckerman therapy is known for its high efficacy and favorable safety profile in the treatment of psoriasis. It consists of a combination of phototherapy and topical crude coal tar). This study will examine how Goeckerman therapy, crude coal tar alone, and phototherapy alone affect the mmunologic and genetic environment within psoriatic skin lesions. Fifteen subjects with moderate to severe psoriasis will be enrolled. Biopsy samples will be collected and undergo molecular profiling to further elucidate the mechanism of action by which Goeckerman treatment improves psoriatic skin lesions.

Interventions

OTHERGoeckerman Therapy

The Goeckerman regimen consists of exposure to narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) light phototherapy and application of crude coal tar to the skin 5 days per week. The treatment will occur the UCSF outpatient skin treatment center for approximately 4-5 hours, 5 days a week for 6 weeks (total of 30 sessions). The treatment is consistent with the standard of care Goeckerman treatment protocol at UCSF.

DRUGCrude Coal Tar Only

A topical medication consisting of crude coal tar will be applied to the psoriatic skin under plastic wrap occlusion for approximately up to 4-5 hours, 5 days a week for 6 weeks (total of 30 sessions), at the outpatient skin treatment center at UCSF.

DEVICEPhototherapy Only

Light treatment with narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy three days per week for 12 weeks at the UCSF Phototherapy Center per the standard UCSF phototherapy protocol, in which starting dose is based on the subject's Fitzpatrick skin type and gradually increased as tolerated. Each phototherapy treatment will last approximately from under 1 minute to less than 15 minutes.

Sponsors

National Psoriasis Foundation
CollaboratorOTHER
University of California, San Francisco
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Male or female ≥ 18 years of age at enrollment. 2. Documentation of predominately moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for at least 6 months prior to enrollment. 3. Written informed consent obtained from subject and ability for subject to comply with the requirements of the study. 4. Subject is considered a candidate for phototherapy or systemic therapy 5. Body Surface Area (BSA) ≥ 5%. 6. Physical exam within clinically acceptable limits.

Exclusion criteria

1. Presence of a condition or abnormality that in the opinion of the Investigator would compromise the safety of the patient or the quality of the data. 2. Subject has predominantly non-plaque form of psoriasis. 3. Subject has drug-induced psoriasis. 4. Subject with current, or a history of, severe psoriatic arthritis well controlled on current therapy. 5. Patient has absolute or relative contraindication to phototherapy, including photosensitizing disorders. 6. Evidence of abnormality of any immune cell population from a drug-induced or genetic cause. 7. Known HIV positive status. 8. Known allergy to lidocaine, other local anesthetics, or any component of local anesthetic agents.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of differentially expressed immune cell populations12 weeksPerform quantitative analysis of the immunologic and genetic changes in immune cell populations after treatment with traditional Goeckerman (NBUVB + coal tar), coal tar only, and NB-UVB only, at weeks 2, 4, and 12 compared to baseline week 0. The immunologic profiles will be compared between subjects receiving the traditional Goeckerman therapy (NB-UVB + coal tar), coal tar only, and NB-UVB therapy only.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of differentially expressed genes and pathways12 weeksQuantify the number of differentially expressed genes in each cell population by RNA-sequencing at weeks 0, 2, 4, 12 after receiving traditional Goeckerman therapy (NB-UVB + coal tar), coal tar only, and NB-UVB therapy only.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026