Scleroderma causes the immune system to attack connective tissue, leading to skin thickening and potential damage to internal organs including lungs, heart, kidneys, and digestive tract. About 300,000 Americans have the condition. Treatment focuses on managing symptoms and slowing organ damage, with immunosuppressants like mycophenolate and methotrexate as mainstays for skin and lung involvement.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing targeted therapies borrowed from cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, including JAK inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors like nintedanib for lung fibrosis, and drugs that block specific fibrosis pathways. Stem cell transplant is being studied for severe early disease. Researchers are also exploring treatments for digital ulcers, pulmonary hypertension, and gastrointestinal symptoms that significantly affect quality of life.
Antifibrotic drugs
Nintedanib, approved for lung fibrosis in other diseases, is now being tested specifically for scleroderma-related lung disease. Other drugs aim to block the molecular signals that drive tissue scarring.
JAK inhibitors
Pills like tofacitinib that block inflammation pathways are being tested for skin thickening and lung disease. Early results suggest they may soften skin and slow lung decline in some patients.
Stem cell transplant
For people with severe, rapidly progressing disease, trials are comparing stem cell transplant to standard immunosuppression. Some patients have achieved long-lasting remission, though the treatment carries significant risks.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on disease subtype (limited or diffuse), extent of skin involvement, organ damage (especially lung and kidney), disease duration, and whether previous immunosuppressants have been tried.
What types of trials are currently open
- Skin disease trials — Testing drugs to reduce skin thickening and improve flexibility, often measured by skin scores and hand function tests.
- Lung disease trials — Studies of drugs to slow or prevent lung fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension, measured by breathing tests and imaging.
- Digital ulcer trials — Testing treatments to prevent or heal painful finger ulcers caused by poor blood flow.
- Stem cell studies — Intensive treatment that resets the immune system for people with severe, early scleroderma.
- Biomarker studies — Following people over time to identify blood or tissue markers that predict disease progression and treatment response.
Recently added Scleroderma trials
Finger Versus Earlobe Pulse Oximetry During the 6-Minute Walk Test in Interstitial Lung Disease
The OXISITE-ILD study is a prospective, multicenter, observational study designed to evaluate the agreement between finger (digital) and earlobe (auricular) pulse oximetry for measuring oxygen saturation (SpO2) during the six-minute walk test (6MWT) in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). In routine clinical practice, exercise SpO2 is usually measured at the finger; however, the finger reading can be unreliable in some patients, and there is currently no recommendation on the best sensor location in ILD. This study compares the two sensor locations, recorded at the same time, and evaluates whether any disagreement changes how exercise desaturation is classified and whether ambulatory oxygen is indicated. All patients undergoing a 6MWT as part of routine ILD care are included consecutively to ensure a pragmatic, real-world representation of the ILD population. The primary objective is to measure the agreement between the two locations in the lowest SpO2 reached during the test, including the size and direction of any difference. Secondary objectives include the reclassification of patients at the clinical desaturation thresholds, the comparison between autoimmune and non-autoimmune ILD, the rate of invalid readings at each location, and the clinical, vascular and functional factors associated with disagreement.
Receive injections of a new immune therapy for systemic sclerosis
A two-part study of PRO-203 administered subcutaneously in healthy adult volunteers and participants with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc).
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