What Progress, If Any, Is Being Made to Treat Scleroderma?

The following information release in November 2006 by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases highlights some of the research being conducted to find successful ways to treat scleroderma:

Currently, there is no treatment that controls or stops the underlying problem: the overproduction of collagen. Little is known about the cellular changes that cause the skin and organs to harden, and the disease may be difficult to diagnose. Understanding the early cellular and molecular changes in scleroderma will help scientists to develop more effective treatments. The following projects will increase our understanding of the causes of scleroderma and bring us closer to finding treatments:

Cell transfer between mother and child and scleroderma

• HLA Alleles, Self-Peptides and Microbial Mimicry in Systemic Sclerosis, J. Lee Nelson, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle. Blood cells move between mother and child during pregnancy and may remain in either or both. This project studies blood cells from scleroderma patients and controls to determine their origin and role in the development of scleroderma.

Research on an innovative therapy for scleroderma

• UV-Induced Collagen Reduction for Treating Skin Scleroderma, Sewon Kang, M.D., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. This study tests the effectiveness of UV phototherapy for the treatment of localized forms of scleroderma.