The team responsible for leveraging a preclinical nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) asset into the acquisition of developer Akarna Therapeutics Ltd. by Allergan plc now is spearheading a psoriasis program at Escalier Biosciences BV, where lead program ESR-114, a topical gel, has moved into a phase I/IIa study. ESR-114 targets the retinoid acid receptor gamma t (RORyt), which Escalier co-founder and CEO Raju Mohan described as the master regulator of Th17 cell differentiation and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-17A and IL-17F, which are linked to the pathophysiology of psoriasis.