News

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced an FDA approval that will allow them to expand the number of sites in the United States from 12 to 20 centers where the company’s Scleroderma clinical trials are currently being conducted. The STAR study was approved by the FDA in January 2015 as an 80-patient…

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has given a positive opinion concerning Cytori’s submission for an orphan drug designation for ECCS-50, the company’s experimental Scleroderma therapeutic, which is based on stromal vascular fraction cells, from adipose tissue and derived from Celution® System,…

A recent study published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy analyzed different prediction algorithms for the efficient diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with systemic sclerosis. The study is entitled “A comparison of the predictive accuracy of three screening models…

Richard Burt, MD, of Northwestern University is looking to harness the power of autologous, patient-derived stem cells for the treatment of systemic sclerosis. His previous work in a clinical trial with scleroderma motivated a new phase 3 clinical trial, entitled “…

New research on musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) hand features in systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) entitled “A comparative study between ultrasonographic hand features in systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis patients: Relation to disease activity, clinical and radiological findings” was recently published in the…

In a recent study entitled “Scleroderma renal crisis,” the authors summarize the most recent findings related to scleroderma renal crisis, a serious but treatable complication of systemic sclerosis. The study was published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. Scleroderma (or systemic…

Researchers at Cairo University in Egypt recently published in The Egyptian Rheumatologist journal their findings on auditory dysfunction observed in systemic sclerosis patients. The study is entitled “Otolith function assessment in patients with systemic sclerosis.” Systemic sclerosis, also known as…

In a study entitled “A Case Report of Living-donor Lobar Lung Transplantation for Scleroderma-associated Usual Interstitial Pneumonia: Eight Years and Counting” researchers suggest living-donor lobar lung transplantation as a viable alternative for critically ill patients with scleroderma-associated usual interstitial pneumonia. The study was…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore investigated the association between autoantibodies, the risk of developing cancer and the possible link between cancer and scleroderma. The study is entitled “Examination of autoantibody status and clinical features that associate with cancer…

In a recent study entitled “Decreased numbers of endothelial progenitor cells in patients in the early stages of systemic sclerosis,” the authors report that systemic sclerosis patients at early disease stages carry fewer endothelial progenitor cells, thus, being more prone to vascular complications. The study was published…