News

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…

A specialized MRI technique may help detect early lung abnormalities in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), even when standard tests show only mild lung disease, a new U.S. study suggests. Using Xenon MRI, or Xe-MRI, which tracks how gases move through the lungs, researchers found that women with SSc showed…

June is Scleroderma Awareness Month, culminating on the 29th with World Scleroderma Day, and is a time, advocates say, to educate others about the autoimmune disease and “find optimism in the latest research that promises better tomorrows.” That’s the message from the National Scleroderma Foundation as the nonprofit announces…

The loss of capillaries in the hands may directly contribute to local bone loss in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study revealed for the first time. Data showed that SSc patients with fewer capillaries at the base of the fingernails had lower bone density in the hands. Such…

BLR-200, a new therapy for scleroderma that’s being developed by a biotech startup in Chicago, may prevent activation of a group of cells involved in the disease’s characteristic scarring — possibly preventing patches of hardened skin from forming. That’s according to new research conducted by the startup,…

Researchers have identified a molecular pathway in specific skin cells called keratinocytes that may be involved in inflammation and scarring in scleroderma affecting the skin. According to data from a mouse model of the disease, loss of the protein Med1 in keratinocytes leads to more severe disease, likely by…

Some genetic factors linked to systemic sclerosis (SSc), also called scleroderma, may influence disease susceptibility differently in women and men, according to a new study. Researchers say these findings may help explain why the disease is much more common in women, but often more severe…

Specific self-reactive antibodies are associated with different symptoms and complications in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) without overlap syndrome, a study in Brazil shows. For instance, autoantibodies targeting Scl70 or centromere were tied to differences in when the disease starts, how the skin is affected, and the risk of…

Some people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), a condition marked by liver inflammation caused by self-reactive antibodies, a study in Turkey shows. The study also identified the blood levels of the liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as the most accurate predictor of AIH. “Our findings highlight…

Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), a procedure that essentially aims to reset the immune system, was effective for controlling scleroderma in a teenager with severe disease that wasn’t responding well to medications. “ASCT may represent an important therapeutic option, particularly perhaps in patients who develop severe disease at a…