News

Blood levels of a protein called KL-6 may help identify people with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) who are at greater risk of short-term lung function decline, according to a new analysis of data from a Phase 3 clinical trial. Among participants who received a placebo in the…

People with scleroderma (SSc) who don’t show the so-called scleroderma pattern, a common diagnostic finding of small blood vessel damage associated with the condition, may experience a milder course of the disease, an Italian study suggests. About 5% of study participants didn’t show this characteristic pattern at the time…

Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a wireless sensor that may help monitor skin stiffness in conditions such as scleroderma from home. “The great thing about the sensor is it’s small, the potential for home use is tremendous, and for patients who know that they are at risk and…

People living with scleroderma are being invited to take part in a new survey designed to better understand how the chronic autoimmune disease affects their daily lives. The findings may help guide future research and, ultimately, improve patient care. The Scleroderma Health and Resources Survey, launched by the…

Scleroderma is now part of a federal program that aims to help understand underlying mechanisms and develop new treatments and diagnostic targets for autoimmune conditions. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) has expanded its Accelerating Medicines Partnership Autoimmune and Immune-Mediated Diseases (AMP AIM) program,…

An investigational off-the-shelf, or readily available, CAR T-cell therapy has shown early signs of effectiveness — with clinical improvements and no serious safety concerns — in the first four people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) treated in an ongoing clinical trial in the U.S. and Europe. That’s according to preliminary…

A clinical trial will study investigational therapies in people at the earliest stages of systemic sclerosis (SSc), before irreversible organ damage has occurred. Contract research organization Indero and the World Scleroderma Foundation (WSF) are partnering on the trial, called WSF SHIELD. It will test multiple investigational therapies in…

Off-label treatment with JAK inhibitors appeared to keep lung function stable and reduce skin thickening, joint pain, and swelling in a small real-world study of systemic sclerosis (SSc). They also caused some side effects and their use needs further confirmation in larger controlled studies, researchers wrote. The study, “…

People with scleroderma who are triple autoantibody-negative — meaning they don’t have three common disease-associated antibodies — are more likely to experience muscle damage and lung disease than others with the rare condition, a new study shows. Conversely, data indicate that patients negative for the three antibodies are less…

A new nanoparticle-based delivery of kaempferol, a compound found in plants, vegetables, and herbs, reduced skin thickening, inflammation, and levels of molecules that induce fibrosis (scarring) in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis (SSc), according to a study. Designed for delivery through the skin, the KLE treatment strategy combines…