Joana Fernandes, PhD,  —

Cytori Therapeutics recently revealed three-year clinical follow-up data of the SCLERADEC I trial (NCT01813279), showing that the improvement provided by a single dose of its ECCS-50 in hand dysfunction associated with scleroderma can be maintained over time in patients. These results are in line with the recently published…

Corbus Pharmaceuticals’ experimental therapy Resunab (JBT-101) shows promise in a clinical trial for the treatment of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc). The results come from a Phase 2 trial (NCT02465437) which evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Resunab in 27 SSc patients, compared to placebo treatment in 15 patients.

Intravenous administration of iloprost may stabilize and improve symptoms of dysfunctional cardiopulmonary and blood vessel activity in patients with systemic sclerosis, possibly halting disease progression, according to new research. The study, “Long-Term Clinical Stabilization Of Scleroderma Patients Treated With A Chronic And Intensive IV Iloprost Regimen,” was published in…

Two approved treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension — Tracleer (bosentan) and Opsumit (macitentan) — can block a molecular pathway that promotes fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), and may be a potential therapy for these patients as well, according to an early study. The study, “Bosentan And Macitentan Prevent The Endothelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition (Endomt)…

Patients with systemic sclerosis and Raynaud’s syndrome have a high risk of developing other organ complications within two years after the onset of Raynaud’s, according to a study published in the journal PLoS One. The authors reported that these complications mainly occur in the skin, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart, kidneys and prostate.

Exposure to low temperatures and emotional stress triggers the production of norepinephrine (adrenaline), which contributes to skin fibrosis in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a new study says. The study, “Mechanistic Insight Into The Norepinephrine-Induced Fibrosis In Systemic Sclerosis”, published in the journal Scientific Reports, was conducted by…

A new study showed that certain proteins present in the blood can serve as reliable biomarkers for the detection of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc), as well as for the distinction of different stages of disease severity. The study, “A Proteome Derived Longitudinal Pharmacodynamic Biomarker For Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis…