Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Therapeutic plasma exchange, which aims to treat systemic sclerosis (SSc) by clearing the blood of antibodies, cytokines and other factors that might promote disease progression, shows potential as a therapy, a review study reported. But a well-designed clinical trial, incorporating equipment and techniques that have come into use since therapeutic…

Severe malnutrition significantly decreases the quality of life of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to researchers. Standardized nutritional screening is needed to identify those at risk of malnutrition so that interventions are rapidly introduced to avoid disease worsening. The study, “The impact of malnutrition on…

It takes more than three years for half of Britons with rheumatic diseases like scleroderma, lupus and vasculitis to obtain a correct diagnosis, according to a Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases Alliance report. This means a major delay in obtaining the treatment they need, according to the report, titled “Reduce, Improve, Empower.” It…

Implanting some of scleroderma patients’ fat cells in their fingers significantly improved their hand function and overall disability, a clinical trial showed. The STAR trial (NCT02396238) dealt with Cytori Therapeutics’ Habeo cell therapy. It involved placing fat — or adipose — cells under the skin of each finger. Cytori presented…

Immunosuppressive therapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant resulted in significant long-term benefits, including improved overall survival, in adult scleroderma patients compared to immunosuppressive therapy alone, according to the results of a Phase 2/3 trial. Despite a higher rate of treatment-related deaths in the transplant group, researchers argue…

New research establishes a link between immune cells, known as macrophages, and systemic sclerosis progression. The study showed that gene expression in macrophages from systemic sclerosis patients is altered, including higher activity of the susceptibility gene GSDMA. The study “Changes in macrophage transcriptome associate with systemic sclerosis and mediate GSDMA contribution…

A newly discovered genetic variant in the FOXP3 gene is associated with a slower progression of systemic sclerosis in women, a small Italian cohort study reports. The research “FOXP3, ICOS and ICOSL gene polymorphisms in systemic sclerosis: FOXP3 rs2294020 is associated with disease progression in a female Italian population”…

The thick skin that is a hallmark of scleroderma showed meaningful improvement in 75 percent of patients treated with Corbus Pharmaceuticals’ anabasum (JBT-101), according to initial results of an extension trial. Corbus discussed the first six months’ findings of the one-year extension study at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San…

Viracept (nelfinavir mesylate, NFV), an antiretroviral drug approved as a therapy against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), could be beneficial in the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study on a mouse model of the disease shows. The study, “The Antiretroviral nelfinavir mesylate, a potential therapy for systemic scleroderma,”…

High levels of a cytokine called CCL2 circulating in the blood can predict how quickly and severely lung disease will progress in people in the early stages of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study suggests. The research “CCL2 in the Circulation Predicts Long-Term Progression of Interstitial Lung Disease in…