News

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients are at a substantially increased risk for the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE, obstructing blood clots), including pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a study reported. The study, “Risk of Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Venous Thrombosis in Systemic Sclerosis: A General…

Analyzing data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a team led by researchers at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School at Houston showed that systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) is not genetically linked to idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. SSc-ILD has clinical and radiological similarities to idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, and…

The efficiency of adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (ADSVF), or cells isolated from fat tissue, to treat ischemia and skin fibrosis in the hands of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients has been investigation in a small clinical trial. A new study reported on the 12-month follow-up of patients receiving this treatment and…

Cytori Therapeutics recently announced that its Phase 3 STAR clinical trial, evaluating the efficacy and safety of Cytori Cell Therapy in scleroderma patients with hand impairment, has treated its 20th patient to reach 25 percent of its enrollment and treatment goal. The trial is continuing on the recommendation of an independent monitoring committee that evaluated safety data obtained…

A review into Wnt pathway signaling as a potential target for systemic sclerosis treatment is optimistic regarding the current status of research and development in the field. The review, “Canonical Wnt signaling in systemic sclerosis,“ was published in the journal Laboratory Investigation by Christina Bergmann and Jörg HW Distler from the …

Because the overwhelming majority of people with the skin condition scleroderma also have gastrointestinal (GI) problems, researchers in Ontario set out to review existing literature into their potential causes to help facilitate the treatment of GI symptoms in these patients. What they found, though, was too few scientific studies into GI risk factors to adequately draw conclusions. Their…

A two-year study found that 80 percent of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients had deficient levels of vitamin D when compared to healthy controls, and worse disease symptoms. The results were presented at the 2015 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting. The abstract, titled “Relationship Between Vitamin D Levels and Disease Activity in Patients…

A team of researchers at Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center developed an antiscarring paste that prevents the progression of fibrosis, representing a potential therapeutic for patients with scleroderma. The study, recently published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), is…

A new study showed that systemic sclerosis patients with interstitial pneumonia (SSc-ILD) have elevated levels of defensins in their lungs. Defensins are immune molecules with antimicrobial and inflammation regulatory properties. The study, titled “Association of elevated α-defensin levels with interstitial pneumonia in patients with systemic sclerosis,“  was published in the…

Pulmonary hypertension is a common co-morbidity of connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma, occurring in up to 40 percent of patients. Texas-based Reata Pharmaceuticals recently announced that the first patient has enrolled in the LARIAT clinical trial, a study examining the therapeutics effect of bardoxolone methyl in patients with pulmonary…