A prediction tool known as nomogram may be used to calculate the chance of a person with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) developing progressive pulmonary fibrosis, or worsening lung scarring, a new study suggests. The nomogram essentially is a pictorial representation of a complex mathematical…
A noninvasive form of vagus nerve stimulation therapy may help safely reduce pain in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a small Italian study has found. The technique, called transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), which involves electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve through the skin on the outer ear…
The European Patent Office has decided to grant MediciNova a patent covering the use of an investigational small molecule called MN-001 (tipelukast) for the treatment of scleroderma. Once issued, the patent is expected to expire no earlier than June 2035. This means that the company will hold exclusive rights…
Sanofi will be the first company to join CONQUEST, a new platform trial launched by the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF), with a treatment candidate for interstitial lung disease associated with scleroderma. A platform trial is a type of randomized clinical trial that uses a master protocol to…
Seven genes were identified as potential drivers of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a bioinformatics study, and may offer opportunities for use as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Bioinformatics is the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data using computers. The study, “Hub genes, diagnostic model, and predicted…
A type of cell death called ferroptosis and the genes related to it may play a role in systemic sclerosis (SSc), meaning they could be used as potential targets to treat the disease, a bioinformatics study suggests. The study, “Comprehensive analysis of ferroptosis-related hub gene signatures as a…
A protein called GRB2 is found in higher levels in cells lining the skin’s blood vessels of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) than in those of healthy individuals, meaning that GRB2 could be a potential target to treat the disease, a study suggests. Researchers observed that salvianolic acid B,…
The European Commission (EC) has given orphan drug designation to efzofitimod as a potential treatment of systemic sclerosis, also known as SSc or scleroderma, aTyr Pharma, the therapy’s developer, announced in a press release. The EC’s decision provides the company with certain incentives, such as fee reductions and…
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) helped resolve watermelon stomach in five people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), researchers in Israel report. Watermelon stomach occurs when the lining of the stomach bleeds. Having watermelon stomach, or gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), could be a reason for an SSc patient to…
In people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), organic solvent exposure — common among workers in industry — is more likely to be found among men and is associated with more severe disease symptoms, according to a new study. Such symptoms primarily included gastrointestinal (GI) and kidney or renal problems. “This…
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