Özge Özkaya, PhD,  —

Treating endothelial cells obtained from scleroderma patients with an enzyme called khloto effectively improves their function, according to a study published in the journal Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Frequent cough, which commonly occurs in lung disease related to scleroderma correlates both with the presence and severity of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD – a chronic digestive disease where stomach acid flows back into the esophagus), and interstitial lung disease (ILD – a condition characterized by the progressive scarring of the lung tissue between the air sacs), suggests a study published in the medical journal Chest.

Treating patients with drug resistant progressive scleroderma with a combination of immunotherapy and umbilical chord derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could improve their condition according to a study reporting the case of two patients, and published in the journal Stem Cell Investigation.

Antibodies against Siglec-8 (sialic acid binding immunoglobulin like lectin 8), a protein selectively expressed on certain types of immune system cells is able to inhibit fibrosis in rodent models of scleroderma and lung fibrosis, according to data presented at the 1st International Conference on Tissue Repair, Regeneration and Fibrosis.

Eosinophil count in peripheral blood may be associated with disease severity in scleroderma according to a study published in the scientific journal Springer Plus.

The European Commission (EC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have both designed Ofev (nintedanib; manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim) an Orphan Drug (ODD) for the treatment of scleroderma, as well as the associated interstitial lung disease. A large Phase 3 trial evaluating its effectiveness in scleroderma is now recruiting…

A drug called Buspar (buspirone), which is primarily used to treat generalized anxiety disorder can improve esophageal symptoms in most scleroderma patients with esophageal involvement, according to a study published in the scientific journal Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Protagen AG, a biotechnology company specializing in diagnostic tests for autoimmune diseases, announced that their product Multilisa BICD2, for the diagnosis of scleroderma, gained CE marking.