Check out the latest research updates from the wider community from this month. While we didn’t fund these projects, we’re encouraged to see a continued focus on understanding scleroderma.
Trial to test scleroderma treatments at earliest stages of disease
“A clinical trial will study investigational therapies in people at the earliest stages of systemic sclerosis (SSc), before irreversible organ damage has occurred.”
Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc, SRF-funded investigator and Co-Chair of the CONQUEST Steering Committee, is a co-lead of this trial.
Off-the-shelf cell therapy shows early promise as scleroderma treatment
“An investigational off-the-shelf, or readily available, CAR T-cell therapy has shown early signs of effectiveness — with clinical improvements and no serious safety concerns — in the first four people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) treated in an ongoing clinical trial in the U.S. and Europe.”
HTS engineered glove aids assessment of impaired hand dexterity in SSc
“In patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), the Hand Test System (HTS) engineered glove has provided quantitative data on disease-related impaired hand dexterity, according to findings from a cross-sectional study published recently in ACR Open Rheumatology.”
Wireless sensor may help track scleroderma skin changes at home
“Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a wireless sensor that may help monitor skin stiffness in conditions such as scleroderma from home.”
Off-label JAK inhibitors may stabilize lung function in systemic sclerosis
“Off-label treatment with JAK inhibitors appeared to keep lung function stable and reduce skin thickening, joint pain, and swelling in a small real-world study of systemic sclerosis (SSc).”
