News

Myeloablative Stem Cell Transplant Improves Long-term Outcomes in Severe Scleroderma, Trial Shows

Immunosuppressive therapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant resulted in significant long-term benefits, including improved overall survival, in adult scleroderma patients compared to immunosuppressive therapy alone, according to the results of a Phase 2/3 trial. Despite a higher rate of treatment-related deaths in the transplant group, researchers argue…

Macrophages May Promote Progression of Systemic Sclerosis, Study Shows

New research establishes a link between immune cells, known as macrophages, and systemic sclerosis progression. The study showed that gene expression in macrophages from systemic sclerosis patients is altered, including higher activity of the susceptibility gene GSDMA. The study “Changes in macrophage transcriptome associate with systemic sclerosis and mediate GSDMA contribution…

Stem Cell Transplant Results Better than Standard Therapy in Severe Scleroderma Patients, Phase 2 Trial Shows

Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial shows that stem cell transplants can provide better long-term benefits than the standard treatment for patients with severe scleroderma. Myeloablative autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant, which uses high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation before the patient’s own stem cells are transplanted,…

Harvard Researchers Explore Cellular Self-destruction as Scleroderma Treatment

Organ fibrosis in scleroderma patients might be reversed with treatments that allow fibrotic cells to self-destruct, Harvard scientists suggest. Their study, “Targeted apoptosis of myofibroblasts with the BH3 mimetic ABT-263 reverses established fibrosis,” appeared in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It demonstrated that the survival–self-destruction balance of fibrosis-producing myofibroblast cells…