Alice Melão, MSc,  —

Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial shows that stem cell transplants can provide better long-term benefits than the standard treatment for patients with severe scleroderma. Myeloablative autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant, which uses high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation before the patient’s own stem cells are transplanted,…

Scleroderma patients with lung diseases have shorter lifespans than those without pulmonary conditions, underscoring the need for better treatments for patients with lung conditions, a Colorado study reports. Another finding was that scleroderma patients with a lung disorder have higher medical costs than those without the condition. That’s particularly true…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals has extended its intellectual property portfolio with a new patent for its investigative cannabinoid-derived drug candidate anabasum to treat multiple fibrotic diseases. Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the mark gives Corbus protection in the United States until 2034. It adds to a patent…

Non-invasive extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) was shown to significantly improve the wound healing process in patients with systemic sclerosis and digital ulcers. Results from the study, presented at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, suggest that ESWT can be safely used as a therapeutic option to…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals has extended its intellectual property portfolio with a new patent fo its investigative cannabinoid-derived drug candidate anabasum to treat inflammatory diseases. The new patent (No. 9,801,849), issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, protects the use of anabasum for the treatment of systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis,…

New mutations found in the GNPTG gene were identified as the underlying cause of a familial form of a scleroderma-like disease, according to a study published in the journal Pediatric Rheumatology. The study, “Next Generation Sequencing identifies mutations in GNPTG gene as a cause of familial form…

A new treatment using adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) to treat hand problems caused by scleroderma is now available at Okyanos Center for Regenerative Medicine in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Researchers developed the treatment protocol based on the STAR clinical study sponsored by Cytori Therapeutics. “Through the delivery of regenerative…

Urinary symptoms are frequent in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), especially in patients with limited cutaneous SSc, which have a 2.2 times higher risk of developing urinary symptoms than other SSc patients, and in patients who are positive for anti-centromere antibodies, who have a 2.8 times increased risk. Findings…

The World Scleroderma Foundation (WSF) will host the 5th Systemic Sclerosis World Congress from Feb. 15-17, 2018, in Bordeaux, France. All meeting attendees will have the opportunity to get together at the Bordeaux Congress Centre to share their knowledge and latest discoveries about systemic sclerosis (SSc). Registration to attend the meeting…

Results from a multicenter clinical trial in Belgium further demonstrated the therapeutic effects of rituximab, marketed by Genentech under the name Rituxan, to treat early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). The treatment not only improved skin symptoms but also prevented disease progression. The results were discussed in…