Congratulations to Ahmad Ramahi, MD, MPH who received the 2022 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Distinguished Fellow Award. Read more.

Dr. Ramahi Receives ACR Distinguished Fellow Award

Department of Internal Medicine Research Rounds
The theme of this quarter’s Department of Internal Medicine Research Rounds is “Systemic Sclerosis - Towards a Precision Medicine Approach” and will feature talks on cutting-edge research from members of the Scleroderma Program. Learn more.

Tofacitinib Shows Promise in Scleroderma Patients, Researchers Are Optimistic for Next Phase of Study
Researchers in the Division of Rheumatology and colleagues find that tofacitinib was well tolerated among patients with early systemic sclerosis in a phase I/II study. Read more.

How the Western Diet and Gut Bacteria Can Lead to Scarring, Vessel Damage in Scleroderma
Researchers in the Division of Rheumatology uncover a substance produced by gut microorganisms that can lead to scarring and blood vessel damage in patients with scleroderma. Read more.

Drugs Showing Promise in Cancer Trials Reduce Scarring for Scleroderma
Dr. Pei-Suen (Eliza) Tsou and team discover that drugs that inhibit BRD4, known to play a role in cancer, also affect fibrosis in scleroderma. Read more.

Nanoparticle Reduces Skin and Lung Scarring for Scleroderma
Dr. John Varga and his lab discover a biodegradable nanoparticle used in medical sutures could combat chronic inflammation and scarring in the lungs and skin of people with scleroderma. Read more.

Additional COVID Vaccine Dose in People with Autoimmune Disease
Dr. Dinesh Khanna co-leads a NIH study that will examine the antibody response to an additional dose of the COVID vaccine in people with autoimmune diseases. Read more.

Circulating CTRP9 Is Associated with Severity of SSc-Associated ILD
Dr. John Varga and researchers find that higher circulating levels of the protein CTRP9 are associated with worse lung function in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD). Read a brief overview and abstract.

Online Mental Health Intervention Significantly Helps the Isolated, Immunosuppressed During Pandemic
Researchers say the support program could be extended to many patient populations. Read more.
News Archive
- Repurposing Tocilizumab in Scleroderma Patients May Prevent Early Lung Disease, Michigan Medicine Health Lab, March 2021.
- New Research Finds Connection: Inflammation, Metabolism and Scleroderma Scarring, Science Daily, January 2021.
- National Research Effort Discovers Relationship Between Inflammation, Metabolism and Scleroderma Scarring, Michigan Medicine Health Lab, January 2021.
- Protein Linked to Progressive Lung Scarring in Scleroderma Patients, Michigan Medicine Health Lab, December 2020.
- Positive Results for Ziritaxestat in Early Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis, ACR Convergence Today, November 2020.
- Cell Therapy FCR001 to Enter Phase 1/2a Trial for Diffuse Cutaneous SSc, Scleroderma News, July 2020.
- Abatacept: An Option in Systemic Sclerosis?, MedPage Today, July 2019.
- Scleroderma Support: Patients Find Help Online, Michigan Medicine Health Blog, June 2019.
- NIH Grants $10.2M to Find New Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases, Including Scleroderma, Scleroderma News, June 2019.
- Recent Trials Investigated Targeted Therapies for Systemic Sclerosis, The Rheumatologist, May 2019.
- Exploring New Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases, Michigan Medicine Health Lab, May 2019.
- Pulmonary Hypertension Often Occurs Early After SSc-ILD Diagnosis, Rheumatology Advisor, February 2019.
- Tocilizumab Better Than Placebo in Preserving Forced Vital Capacity in Systemic Sclerosis, Healio Rheumatology, February 2019.
- Inhibiting Cancer-Causing Protein Could Prevent Scleroderma Fibrosis, Michigan Medicine Health Lab, February 2019.
- Systemic Scleroderma Treatments: Where Are We Now?, Michigan Medicine Health Lab, January 2019.
- Living with Scleroderma: Personalized Treatment & Support Makes All the Difference, Michigan Medicine Health Blog, July 2018.
- Journey of Hope: Autoimmune Disease Patient Raises Funds, Promotes Education, USA Today, October 2017.
- Service Spotlight: Doc's Commitment to Patient ‘Priceless’, Michigan Medicine Headlines, October 2017.
- Cytori’s Habeo Cell Therapy Appears to Benefit Scleroderma Patients with Diffuse Form of the Disease, Scleroderma News, July 2017.