News

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…

Through an analysis of genetic data, scientists have identified dozens of existing medications that could potentially be repurposed as treatments for scleroderma, according to a new study. Potential treatments identified in the analysis include therapies that modulate the activity of estrogen, a female sex hormone, as well as medicines…

Measuring the blood levels of anti-CD146 antibodies may help identify people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) whose disease is associated with occupational exposure to silica and other mineral dusts, according to a small study. This is the first biomarker linked to occupational exposure identified in SSc. Detecting these antibodies…

Treatment with AISA-021 (cilnidipine), being developed by Aisa Pharma for Raynaud’s phenomenon, safely reduced the frequency and duration of Raynaud’s attacks in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc). That’s according to recently reported results from the Phase 2 RECONNOITER-1 trial (ACTRN12621000459820) — data that also showed that the…

Hand baths enriched with carbon dioxide (CO2) — a gas that exists naturally in the atmosphere, and is produced by living things breathing out — can significantly widen blood vessels of the fingers in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated Raynaud’s phenomenon. That’s according to a small clinical trial…

The use of immunosuppressive and combination treatments for interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD) has increased significantly over the past two decades, with more than half of patients now starting treatment at their first evaluation, according to a new study. Over the same period, rates of…