Active clinical trials for "Scleroderma, Diffuse"

Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma) varies greatly in clinical manifestations, mode of presentation, and course. The natural history of this chronic autoimmune disease ranges from benign to fatal. Patients are classified into limited and diffuse scleroderma defined by the degree of skin involvement. Patients with limited disease (e.g. the C.R.E.S.T. syndrome) generally have mild disease and normal survival. However, patients with diffuse cutaneous scleroderma often have severe multi-system disease that is not only devastating emotionally and physically but is associated with a 60-70% five year survival and a 40-50% 10 year survival. No therapies have proven effective in the treatment of scleroderma. Strategy to treat scleroderma have included attempts to prevent fibrosis with drugs that interfere with collagen metabolism, attempts to modify the disease process by immunosuppression and attempts to alter the disease by vasoactive drugs. High dose of corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs (e.g. chlorambucil, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine) used at conventional doses have not proven curative, but have shown some benefit for inflammatory features of the disease (e.g. arthritis, myositis, fibrosing alveolitis). Both allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) have shown to modify and in some instances reverse a variety of animal models of autoimmune disease. This has prompted many investigators to propose the use of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for the treatment of autoimmune disease including scleroderma. Unfortunately, this approach risks infusing untreated autoreactive lymphocyte clones after the immunoablative preparative regimen. We have previously demonstrated that high-dose cyclophosphamide without BMT can induce durable and complete remissions in another autoimmune disease, severe aplastic anemia. Recent data with high dose cyclophosphamide show that it can induce complete remissions in other autoimmune hematologic disorders. The objective of this study is to determine whether high dose cyclophosphamide can induce a durable remission in scleroderma patients with life-threatening disease, and to determine toxicity of high dose cyclophosphamide in high risk scleroderma patients.

The purpose of the study is to examine the safety and effectiveness of a reduced intensity conditioning regimen and allogeneic bone marrow transplant for people with systemic sclerosis. In an allogeneic bone marrow transplant procedure, bone marrow is taken from a healthy donor and transplanted into the patient. Bone marrow can be donated by a family member or an unrelated donor who is a complete tissue type match. Participants will receive the chemotherapy and low dose radiation conditioning regimen consisting of the following: Fludarabine will be given intravenously for 5 days. Cyclophosphamide will be given intravenously on the first and second day. After completing the fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, patients will receive a single low dose of total body irradiation. The next day, patients will receive the allogeneic bone marrow transplant. On the third and fourth day after the transplant, patients will receive high dose intravenous cyclophosphamide. This is given to help prevent two complications: (1) graft rejection, which occurs when the body's immune system rejects the donor bone marrow, and (2) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which is when the donor immune cells attack the patient's normal tissues. On the fifth day after the transplant, patients will start receiving two additional medications: tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid (MPA, Myfortic), to help prevent GVHD. Patients will receive mycophenolic acid for about 5 weeks and tacrolimus for about 6 months. Also beginning on the fifth day after the transplant, patients will receive daily injections of a growth factor called granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), which is a protein that increases the white blood cell count; G-CSF will be continued until the patient's white blood cell count has returned to normal levels. Patients will remain closely monitored either in the outpatient clinic setting or in the hospital for approximately 2-3 months after the transplant, but possibly longer if there are complications. Follow-up study visits will occur at 6 months and then at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after the transplant. Study researchers will keep track of the patient's medical condition after leaving the transplant center by phone calls or mailings to patients and their doctors once a year for the rest of the study participants' lives.

SCOT is a clinical research study designed for people with severe forms of scleroderma. SCOT stands for Scleroderma: Cyclophosphamide Or Transplantation. The SCOT study will compare the potential benefits of stem cell transplant and high-dose monthly cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) in the treatment of scleroderma.

In an earlier clinical trial, RAPIDS-1, conducted in scleroderma patients with or without digital ulcers at baseline, bosentan significantly reduced the number of new digital ulcers versus placebo. The purpose of the present trial (RAPIDS-2) is to evaluate the prevention and healing effects of bosentan versus placebo on digital ulcers over a 24-week treatment period.

CM-101 is developed as treatment for medical conditions involving inflammatory and fibrotic mechanisms such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and systemic sclerosis (SSc). In this current study, the IP is tested in healthy male volunteers.

On December 27th 2020, the implementation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in France first became available amongst all immunosuppressed patients at very high risk of severe Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) infection, specifically for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant recipients or other fragile immunosuppressed patients. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by dysregulation of the immune system, vascular damage and progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs (heart, lung and kidney) which may lead to severe comorbidities and SSc-related mortality. In severe rapidly progressive SSc, we and others demonstrated that autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is the only treatment so far allowing improvement in overall and event free survival up to 7 years after AHSCT. As soon as vaccines were available on January 1st, 2021 and following the French Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) and Société Francophone de Greffe de Moelle et de Thérapie Cellulaire (SFGM-TC) good clinical practices (GCP) guidelines, the ad hoc COVID19 vaccinations were proposed to all SSc patients in France, including those previously treated by AHSCT and followed at Maladies Auto Immunes et Thérapie Cellulaire (MATHEC) Center of Reference for stem cell therapy at St-Louis hospital. In July 2021, the Autoimmune Diseases Working Party (ADWP) and the European society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) guidelines recommended vaccination against SARS-CoV2 as early as 3 months after HSCT for autoimmune diseases. Only one Israeli study so far has analyzed the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination after autologous HSCT (AHSCT) in SSc patients.. We therefore designed the present case control study retrospective study to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of this vaccination program in SSc patients treated by AHSCT as compared to other fragile SSc individuals. The Primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the anti-SARS-CoV2 vaccination program according to the French GCP for COVID-19 prophylaxis in SSc fragile patients, in terms of risk of asymptomatic or symptomatic COVID-19 infection, among SSc patients treated by AHSCT compared to 1:1 matched non transplant SSc controls.

This study evaluates the effect of intestinal microbiota therapy on gastro-intestinal symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). This is a mulicenter randomized controlled trial conducted at university hospitals in Oslo, Tromsø, Bergen and Trondheim in Norway. In part A1, half of the patients will receive active substance (intestinal microbiota cultured in the lab - "ACHIM") in the small intestine twice by gastroduodenoscopy, the other half will receive placebo. The primary outcome will be measured on week 12 by patient reported outcome measures. In part A2, all participants receive ACHIM at week 12, with an 8 week follow-up for all. A step-wise follow-up will be done in part B up to 16 weeks after week 20 until the last participant finish week 20 visit, which is defined as end of study.The blind from the first intervention will not be opened before end of study.

Because of multiple system involvement, patients with Scleroderma have complaints such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, functional limitations, skin deformations, pain, swollen hands and joint pain. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Tai Chi exercise program on trunk endurance, balance, sleep, fatigue, anxiety and depression in patients with scleroderma.

Hand involvement in scleroderma leads to functional disability due to the relationship between grip strength, wrist and finger movement. The vast majority of patients report that their activities are restricted and their quality of life decreases for this reason. Literature indicate that more work is needed to continue to develop and evaluate rehabilitation interventions in this population. This study is a randomized controlled study examining the effects of 8 weeks of upper extremity home exercises on grip strength, normal joint movement, activity performance and functionality in patients with scleroderma. In our study, it is aimed to contribute to the standardization of upper extremity exercise protocols for scleroderma patients, to increase the quality of life of patients and to increase their independence in daily living activities.

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of rituximab compared with placebo in SSc patients. This study consists of a 24-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled period followed by a 24-week active drug treatment period.