News

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with scleroderma experienced substantial increases in anxiety, but not depression, a new study has found. Results also show that older patients and those with greater financial resources experienced smaller increases in anxiety. The study, “Changes in mental health…

A new computer software, called Capillary.io, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in diagnosing scleroderma at early disease stages. The tool, developed in partnership with the Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI), was designed specifically to improve a non-invasive, highly sensitive and inexpensive technique — called nailfold capillaroscopy — used by…

A protein known as TL1A drives lung fibrosis, or scarring, in scleroderma, a new study suggests. The findings suggest that blocking TL1A could be an effective therapeutic strategy in scleroderma and other conditions characterized by lung fibrosis, including severe asthma, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Titled, “…

Muscular involvement is linked with more severe symptoms in people with scleroderma, affecting heart, lungs and the digestive system, a study from China reports. These patients are likely to have a worse disease prognosis and poorer survival, its data show. The study “Myopathy is a Risk Factor for…

Detailed characteristics of 12 cases of lung cancer in people with scleroderma were described in a new study. Notably, all patients were women and most had interstitial lung disease (ILD). The study, “Clinicopathological characteristics of lung cancer in patients with systemic sclerosis,” was published…

Treatment with lenabasum failed to outperform a placebo when given as an add-on to standard immunosuppressants in adults with diffuse cutaneous scleroderma (dcSSc), top-line data from a Phase 3 trial show. Participants given a placebo on top of immunosuppressants experienced an unprecedented improvement, Corbus Pharmaceuticals said in…

Same But Different, a U.K. nonprofit that uses the arts to bring communities together, is holding a calendar photography competition to raise awareness for rare diseases. Under the theme “A Glimmer of Hope,” the competition is a means to “visually express the hope that exists for people affected by…

The Scleroderma Lung Study III (SLSIII), a Phase 2 clinical trial of oral CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil) alone or in combination with Esbriet (pirfenidone) in  scleroderma-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) is enrolling patients. The trial (NCT03221257) is taking place across 17 clinical sites in the U.S., including the University…