New treatments for lung scarring in systemic sclerosis
Official title: From proteomics and genomics to therapeutics in systemic sclerosis interstitial lung disease
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11193264 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for new drug targets and therapies to help people with systemic sclerosis who have scarring in their lungs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $234,488 |
| NIH project number | 5P50AR080612-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193264 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with systemic sclerosis who have evidence of interstitial lung disease (abnormal lung imaging or declining lung function) or who can donate lung tissue or blood samples would be most relevant for participation or sample donation.
✕Less likely to help
People without systemic sclerosis or without lung involvement, or those seeking immediate changes to their current treatment, are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
If you have systemic sclerosis with lung scarring, this project will map the proteins and genes in affected lungs using advanced proteomics and genomics. Researchers will analyze lung tissue and blood samples from people with SSc alongside experimental models to identify the cells and pathways driving fibrosis. They will compare human and mouse data and test whether the proteins they find can be targeted by existing or new drugs. The aim is to find actionable molecular targets that could lead to better treatments for SSc-ILD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could reveal new drug targets that slow, stop, or possibly reverse lung scarring in systemic sclerosis.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has identified shared fibrosis pathways and two drugs that slow lung decline in SSc-ILD, but a detailed, quantitative map of the SSc lung proteome is a new and more comprehensive approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Eickelberg, Oliver — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Eickelberg, Oliver
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how a cell protein (SLC9A1) drives skin and lung scarring in systemic sclerosis
A five-year NIH grant aims to understand how a specific cell protein called SLC9A1 influences scar-forming cells in systemic sclerosis and related lung disease, with the goal of finding possible therapies.
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From proteins and genes to new treatments for scar-related lung disease
A large NIH grant is working to map the proteins in the lungs of people with systemic sclerosis to find new targets for drugs that could slow or stop lung fibrosis.
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Vasculopathy in Systemic Sclerosis and Lung Disease in Adults
A study in adults with systemic sclerosis will look at how blood vessels in the lungs and body relate to the development of lung disease, with the aim of finding new ways to prevent it.
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Functional markers to guide treatment in systemic sclerosis–related lung disease
A research grant at USC is studying blood biomarkers that show whether medicines are helping people with systemic sclerosis–related interstitial lung disease.
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Systemic sclerosis-related lung disease: who’s at risk and what blood markers hint at it
A dedicated research grant asks how to identify which people with systemic sclerosis will develop interstitial lung disease and which blood biomarkers can signal that risk.
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How immune cells drive lung scarring in systemic sclerosis
Learning how immune signals cause lung scarring in people with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease using patient lung tissue to point to better treatments.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.