Ethan Lerner

Ethan Lerner, (born in 1955) an American dermatology professor, the son of well-known Dr. Aaron Bunsen Lerner, and the inventor of the Fiber-Optic Hairbrush. Dr. Ethan Lerner has become a respectable player in the field of Dermatology through improvements in research and technology. In 2001 Dr. Lerner founded Lerner Medical, as a platform for the development of technological approaches and solutions to the treatment of skin diseases. He has been awarded numerous grants for the research and study of skin conditions, and has been teaching at Harvard Medical School.

Invention
Levia is an Ultraviolet B Light (UVB) Phototherapy system for the treatment of psoriasis,vitiligo, atopic dermatitis (eczema), seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff), and leucoderma (stretch marks). Lerner Medical Devices, Inc. researchers led by Ethan Lerner, developed this device intended to facilitate a personal targeted Phototherapy treatment at the convenience and privacy of home. The device received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA seal of approval and was officially introduced at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, in Miami, Florida on March 2010.

Dr. Ethan Lerner is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, and is a co-inventor of Levia and its Fiber-Optic brush. His work over the last 15 years has been supported by numerous competitive research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Lerner has authored over 90 peer-reviewed articles and holds twelve U.S. patents, including Levia. He was successful at getting many investigators into the National Academy of Sciences and several dermatologists elected to the Institute of Medicine. He was relentless in his quiet and successful pursuit of having dermatopathology be part of dermatology. He died in February 3, 2007 at 86 years old, and left a natural imprint in his children, most noticeably on his son, Ethan
Dermatology
One of the most common symptom seen by dermatologists is itching, and for in many cases the leading cause for spreading skin conditions from the affected area to the rest of the body. Dr. Lerner’s primary research interest is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that lead to the sensation of itching and its effects to a condition like Psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic and non-contagious condition that affects millions of people that most often presents itself on the skin, as a result of weak immune systems. Outbreaks occur when the immune system sends faulty signals to accelerate skin cell growth, resulting in the rapid development of thick, scaly patches called: plaques. Many people are unfamiliar with Psoriasis and all the disease entails.
As the patient population grows, so does the need for greater treatment options, scientific data and peer acceptance. Psoriasis afflicts 7.5 million Americans, as reported by The National Institute of Health (NIH), at an annual cost of $11.25 billion. Today, there are more Psoriasis patients than those with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other more publicized medical conditions. Psoriasis is a disease that affects all ages, genders and racial groups. It is the most prevalent autoimmune disorder and the second most common skin disease, following acne. For Psoriasis sufferers, this chronic disease can be socially secluding and emotionally distressing.
Psoriasis Treatments
There are various choices available for physicians and their Psoriasis patients, Phototherapy is one of those options. Current forms of Psoriasis treatments can be viewed in a “four step paradigm” which includes: Topical agents, Phototherapy, Systemic, and Biological treatments. Of course, physicians will mix and match therapies in combination, or skip certain categories of treatments based on their assessment of a patient’s condition, and their prior response to medications or therapies.
Initial treatment approaches are most often non-prescription topical ointments or prescription steroids applied directly to the affected [], taken by mouth and is prescribed for patients who have failed to respond adequately to the first- and second-line treatment modalities (topicals, steroids and phototherapy). Patients taking systemics must be monitored regularly for potential organ damage. Fourth-line therapy consists of biological modifiers taken by multiple injections or infusions, which can be efficacious, but are extremely expensive, pose serious side effect risks, and are generally reserved for patients with severe forms of the disease.
Every treatment seek to offer potential benefits, and each carries some risk; no single treatment is ideal for every patient. As a result, the physician will create a tailored treatment plan depending on the severity of the disease, location and extent of body area involvement, type of Psoriasis and a patient’s responsiveness to initial treatments.
Despite the variety of treatment options for Psoriasis patients that may work on a case-by-case basis are available, but according to the Pluto Study phototherapy is the most well-documented and convenient 'light therapy' option physicians recommend combined with medication.
Phototherapy Option
Based on the recently published PLUTO1 study: patients viewed their experience with in-home treatment more favorably than that of an out-patient regimen. PLUTO1 supports the effectiveness of UVB phototherapy used in-home, similar to in-office light therapy, home UVB treatment was found to be a successful form of treatment. The majority of the 196 randomly selected patients preferred the home UVB therapy over an outpatient regimen for future treatments based on treatment effectiveness.
Phototherapy is well documented as a safe and effective treatment for Psoriasis and other skin conditions, and for all severities of disease. There are two general forms of phototherapy, providing ultraviolet A (UVA) or ultraviolet B (UVB) forms of light. When UVA is used, the patient is required to take an oral photosensitizer medication (psoralen) to make it effective. This combination treatment is known as PUVA.

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