Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

Ferroptosis, a cell death process that can help to regulate uncontrolled cell growth, was suppressed in skin cells from people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to recent research. Such suppression appears to be mediated by increased activity of an antioxidant protein called GPX4. Researchers believe that targeting GPX4 to…

Researchers have developed a model for predicting which systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) — together known as SSc-ILD — will experience progressive lung function declines that are known to be associated with a poorer prognosis. The prediction algorithm accounts for nine clinical factors, including…

A non-invasive technique called flow-mediated dilation (FMD) could be useful for monitoring blood vessel alterations in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and predicting the likelihood of certain blood flow (vascular) complications, a study has found. The test findings show distinct differences between SSc patients and healthy people, and were…

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-…