Systemic sclerosis causes the immune system to attack blood vessels and connective tissue, leading to skin thickening and damage to internal organs — especially the lungs, heart, and digestive tract. About 75,000 Americans have systemic sclerosis. Treatment focuses on managing organ complications and slowing disease progression, though no drug yet reverses the underlying fibrosis.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that target fibrosis pathways, including repurposed medications from other autoimmune diseases and antifibrotic agents borrowed from lung disease research. Stem cell transplant is being studied for severe cases. Researchers are also testing treatments for specific complications like interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, and Raynaud's phenomenon, which affects nearly everyone with systemic sclerosis.
Antifibrotic drugs
Drugs like nintedanib, already used for lung scarring, are being tested to see if they slow lung damage in systemic sclerosis. Other agents targeting TGF-beta and other fibrosis pathways are entering trials.
Stem cell transplant
Autologous stem cell transplant resets the immune system and has shown lasting benefits in people with severe, early systemic sclerosis. Trials are refining which patients benefit most and how to reduce transplant risks.
JAK inhibitors
Drugs that block JAK enzymes, used in rheumatoid arthritis, are being tested for skin thickening and lung disease. Early results suggest they may reduce inflammation and fibrosis in some patients.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on disease duration (early disease often preferred), extent of skin or organ involvement, and whether lung or heart function meets safety thresholds.
What types of trials are currently open
- Antifibrotic trials — Testing drugs that aim to slow or prevent scarring in the skin, lungs, or other organs. Many borrow agents from other fibrotic diseases.
- Immune modulation trials — Testing drugs that calm the immune system, including repurposed treatments from lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune conditions.
- Stem cell trials — Studies of stem cell transplant for people with severe, progressive disease. These trials track long-term outcomes and work to reduce transplant complications.
- Organ-specific trials — Testing treatments for lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, kidney crisis, or gastrointestinal symptoms — common complications that drive disability and mortality.
- Biomarker studies — Following people with systemic sclerosis to identify blood or tissue markers that predict disease progression and treatment response.
Recently added Systemic Sclerosis 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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