Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

aTyr Pharma plans to test efzofitimod, its lead candidate for treating interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc), in a Phase 2 clinical study this year in the U.S. The plans come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared an investigational new drug…

Talaris Therapeutics plans to continue to recruit people with rapidly progressing diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) at risk for organ failure into FREEDOM-3, a Phase 2 clinical study of its investigational cell therapy FCR001. That’s in spite of the company’s decision to put a stop to its…

Monitoring the progression of subclinical heart disease with MRI scans suggested that abnormalities remain largely stable over time in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and such routine imaging may be of “minimal value”  to most patients, a small study reported. The study, “Subclinical Systemic Sclerosis Primary Heart Involvement by…

The protein ADAR1 occurs in great amounts in macrophages, a type of immune cell that appears in the early stages of systemic sclerosis (SSc), making the cells more active and stirring up a “turmoil” of inflammation, a mouse study found. Researchers also observed that mice in which the disease…

Various immune-related genes are not equally as active in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) as they are in healthy individuals, and they may be candidate biomarkers for diagnosis, a study suggests. Researchers also found that two of these genes, called TNFSF13B and TYROBP, may tell how well people with…

People with systemic scleroderma (SSc) who test positive for cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies are more likely than those who test negative to develop interstitial lung disease (ILD) — when the lungs become scarred — and have worse lung function. That’s according to data from a South Korean study…

Fibroblasts from the skin of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) can get more energy from their powerhouses, the mitochondria, than healthy skin fibroblasts, a small study found. Researchers zeroed in on some of the molecules that may make for the energy surplus and were able to identify small molecules…

Exposure to silica, a mineral used to make building materials, at work is associated with younger age at diagnosis, more severe disease, and reduced survival in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a study of more than 1,000 patients in Canada and Mexico. Also, those reporting on-the-job silica…

A grant of more than $400,000 has been awarded to a researcher who is searching for new ways to treat scleroderma, how the disease begins and progresses in the skin, and how it responds to treatments. The awardee is Karin Wuertz-Kozak, PhD, a professor in the biomedical engineering department…

A protein called LMCD1 is present at higher levels in the lungs of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) linked to systemic sclerosis (SSc) than in healthy individuals, and may be a candidate target for the treatment of the disease, a small study suggests. Researchers found that the…