About the study

The Biomarkers and Stratification To Optimise outcomes in Psoriasis study (B-STOP) is a non-commercial observational study established in 2011 by Chief Investigator Professor Catherine Smith of the St John’s Institute of Dermatology at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. B-STOP seeks to identify and characterise biomarkers of response to systemic and biologic treatments for psoriasis.

Patients suffering from severe psoriasis have a range of treatment options available to them. However response to these treatments can vary widely from patient to patient. The B-STOP study examines which gene(s) and other 'biomarkers' are important in determining good or poor responses to the drugs that are used to treat psoriasis. Once discovered, researchers can develop a genetic and biological blueprint of each patient to identify which treatments are most likely to work, rather than the current approach which is 'try it and see'.

UK Interventions in Psoriasis Bio-bank

B-STOP is securing a comprehensive collection of biological samples for patients with psoriasis. Patients recruited to B-STOP will provide blood specimens for DNA, as well as follow up bloods over 5 years to monitor RNA levels, serum and other measures of pharmacogenetic drugs. The biological data extracted from these bloods will be paired with patient data such as medical history, previous treatment, and length and severity of condition.

BSTOP has so far recruited over 4000 patients and collected more than 16,000 biological samples.

Partner Sites

Over 70 sites throughout the UK are actively recruiting patients to B-STOP and we are open to dermatology departments throughout the UK. If you are a researcher considering B-STOP for your hospital, please contact the Study team.

Partnership with BADBIR

B-STOP has partnered with the British Association of Dermatologists’ Biological Interventions Register (BADBIR) to help facilitate and capture patient data. BADBIR is an established longitudinal study of psoriasis patients throughout the UK, and is a vital resource for patient response to psoriasis treatment.