Author Archives: Aisha I Abdullah PhD

The Scleroderma Warriors Project is expanding its online presence with an updated website and online communication platform to support the scleroderma community. The new platform will create an online community to connect scleroderma patients, families, and…

Chronic pain and impairment of the autonomic nervous system — which controls internal organs and regulates body processes like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and respiration — affect sleep and physical functioning in people with scleroderma, which in turn can negatively affect their quality of…

Patients with scleroderma have poor core stability, as measured by trunk muscle strength and endurance, affecting both their physical capacity and daily performance, a Turkish study found. Previous studies largely neglect trunk muscles in scleroderma patients, focusing instead on upper and…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review to an application for Esbriet (pirfenidone) as a treatment for unclassifiable interstitial lung disease (UILD). The supplemental new drug application was submitted by Genentech, Esbriet’s developer and a member of the Roche Group, based on…

In a study of the entire working population of Denmark, exposure to respirable crystalline silica  — common in jobs in the construction industry — was linked to an increased risk of developing autoimmune rheumatic disorders, including scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis. The dose-dependent nature of the association,…

A tiny RNA molecule called microRNA-320a is associated with regulating collagen levels and fibrosis, or scarring, in systemic sclerosis (SSc) complicated by interstitial lung disease (ILD), a study reports.  According to investigators, this is the “first…

More than 40% of scleroderma patients are diagnosed with osteopenia (loss of bone mass) or osteoporosis (weak, brittle bones) and the risk is increased by time from first symptom and with the use of non-corticosteroid…

Updated results from the RESOLVE-1 Phase 3 clinical trial show that treatment with lenabasum reduces lung function decline in adults with diffuse cutaneous scleroderma (dcSSc) who are on long-term immunosuppressant therapy. “We are encouraged by the post-hoc [subsequent] analyses pointing to lenabasum’s therapeutic potential,” Yuval Cohen, PhD, CEO of…

Genomic risk scores (GRS), which predict the likelihood of developing a condition based on a person’s genetic profile, successfully distinguished people with scleroderma from those with other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases or healthy individuals, a study…

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial of FCX-013, Castle Creek Biosciences‘ experimental gene therapy for moderate to severe localized scleroderma, has dosed the first participant. The study (NCT03740724), which is expected to enroll up to 10 adults with localized scleroderma,…