Donate blood samples and complete lung scans to help identify early lung disease

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Recruiting

What is this trial?

This research study is looking for better ways to detect lung scarring (called pulmonary fibrosis) in people with autoimmune diseases like scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjögren's syndrome. Researchers will analyze special particles in your blood and use advanced imaging to understand what's happening in the lungs. The goal is to find early warning signs before serious scarring develops, so doctors can treat the disease sooner.

Lung scarring affects many people with autoimmune diseases and is a major cause of disability and death, but doctors don't have reliable tools to predict who will develop it or how fast it will progress. This research aims to discover biological markers in the blood that could help predict lung disease earlier and more accurately than current methods.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you are between 18 and 75 years old
you have been diagnosed with scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, inflammatory myositis, or an undifferentiated connective tissue disease
you have specific autoimmune markers in your blood that put you at higher risk for lung disease
you either have not taken immune-suppressing medications before, or have been on a stable dose for at least 3 months
you have had a recent CT scan of your chest (within 6 weeks) showing lung changes, or a normal scan if you don't have lung disease yet

You likely don't qualify if…

you are currently taking high-dose steroids (more than 10 mg prednisone daily)
you have received rituximab (a biologic medication) within the past 6 months
you have poor veins that would make blood draws difficult or impossible
you cannot provide informed written consent to participate

What participation looks like

You will have blood drawn to analyze special particles that may predict lung disease, and you'll undergo advanced CT imaging of your lungs. The research team will compare people who have lung scarring with those who don't to understand the differences. This is a diagnostic study, so you're not taking any new medication — the focus is on gathering information through blood samples and imaging to help future patients.

Finding early signs of lung scarring in autoimmune diseases

What is this trial?

Do you qualify?

What participation looks like

Trial locations(1 site)