News

A new study shows that UVA1 phototherapy — a treatment strategy that uses specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light — may work to reduce scarring in scleroderma by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). This finding implies that activating the AhR protein may offer therapeutic benefits in the chronic autoimmune…

FT011, a treatment candidate from Certa Therapeutics, was safe and led to clinically meaningful improvements for more than 60% of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients in a Phase 2 trial. After 12 weeks of treatment, patients given the investigational therapy showed gains in lung function and in physician-…

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) — technology used in medicine to obtain a three-dimensional dataset — may be a feasible, non-invasive technique to quantify the severity of Raynaud’s phenomenon associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-RP), according to a new study. This “technology may present a novel, fast, and effective method…

Moderate doses of oral prednisolone, a corticosteroid, given for a short period may help to ease symptoms in people with early diffuse cutaneous scleroderma (dcSSc), a Phase 2 trial suggests. The study, intended to assess whether moderate dose of corticosteroids are safe and effective for early dcSSc, was affected…

People who were infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are at greater risk for developing autoimmune diseases, including scleroderma (SSc), according to a large study. The findings support recent evidence that viral infections may increase the likelihood of autoimmune conditions, although the mechanisms remain unknown. “It is…

Monitoring the progression of subclinical heart disease with MRI scans suggested that abnormalities remain largely stable over time in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and such routine imaging may be of “minimal value”  to most patients, a small study reported. The study, “Subclinical Systemic Sclerosis Primary Heart Involvement by…

Elevations in two indices of body-wide inflammation are associated with greater disease activity in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, according to a recent study. The two inflammatory markers — called the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and platelet-to-hemoglobin ratio (PHR) — were also associated with skin ulcers, and musculoskeletal and pulmonary…

Topical cannabidiol may safely improve the healing of digital ulcers and boost quality of life, while also easing pain in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a study in Italy suggests. Benefits were also seen in increasing the amount of sleep per night for those given the treatment. The study,…

A Phase 2a clinical trial testing the oral cannabidiol-derived medication EHP-101 in people with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis can proceed to the higher dose groups, the therapy candidate’s developer Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals (EHP) announced. The study is taking place in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, as well as…

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) were more likely to have a diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) disease type and certain cardiovascular complications than patients without ILD, according to a recent study in China. Those with the lung condition were also significantly more likely have elevated levels…