Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

Antibodies designed to neutralize the protein galectin-3 (Gal-3) eased scarring and inflammation in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a recent study shows. Gene activity related to Gal-3 and the proteins it interacts with were found to be strongly associated with disease severity, lung and heart malfunction, and…

Aisa Pharma has launched the second part of its Phase 2a trial evaluating Profervia (cilnidipine) — an oral medication that showed positive safety and efficacy data in the study’s first part — as a treatment for Raynaud’s phenomenon in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Raynaud’s is…

Certain metabolic changes in the blood could serve as biomarkers for systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a recent analysis. In “the largest metabolic study in SSc so far,” researchers identified metabolites — small molecules that are products of metabolism — that distinguished SSc patients from healthy adults, but were…

An analysis of genetic data from patient skin samples revealed four genes that may be involved in the development or progression of systemic sclerosis (SSc), as well as regulatory molecules that also might contribute. The scientists believe these four genes — SERPINE1, CCL2, IL6, and ISG15 — could be…

The National Scleroderma Foundation has awarded a $200,000 research grant to a University of Minnesota scientist to study how immune system responses drive the emergence of scleroderma — the cause of which remains unknown. The funding for researcher Rafael Contreras-Galindo, PhD, comes in the form of the two-year…

The clinical presentation of systemic sclerosis (SSc) differs significantly between adult and pediatric patients, according to a recent study in Turkey. Particularly, adults were more likely to have lung disease and to be at a higher risk of death than children, who were more likely to experience joint inflammation and…

FT011, a treatment candidate from Certa Therapeutics, was safe and led to clinically meaningful improvements for more than 60% of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients in a Phase 2 trial. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients given the investigational therapy showed gains in lung function and in physician-…

Elevations in two indices of body-wide inflammation are associated with greater disease activity in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, according to a recent study. The two inflammatory markers — called the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and platelet-to-hemoglobin ratio (PHR) — were also associated with skin ulcers, and musculoskeletal and pulmonary…

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) were more likely to have a diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) disease type and certain cardiovascular complications than patients without ILD, according to a recent study in China. Those with the lung condition were also significantly more likely have elevated levels…

A new study has found that defects in centromeres — specific regions of chromosomes — are evident in skin cells from people with systemic sclerosis (SSc). People with diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) and limited cutaneous (lcSSc) forms of the disease showed specific alterations relative to healthy people, but chromosomal…