Pediatric Scleroderma: Mapping Cells and Tissues to Personalize Care
Official title: Integrating Spatial and Single-Cell Transcriptomics with Histology to Define Endotypes in Pediatric Scleroderma
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11404087 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study will map the different cell types and tissue patterns in skin from children with scleroderma to identify patient-specific disease subtypes that could guide targeted therapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 2, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $469,554 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR086434-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11404087 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children with juvenile systemic sclerosis (jSSc) or juvenile localized scleroderma (jLS), and age-matched healthy controls.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy children or those without a defined juvenile scleroderma subtype may not receive direct benefit.
What this research studies
Young patients with juvenile scleroderma often face fibrotic and organ-involved disease with toxic treatments. The project will use single-cell and spatial gene profiling on skin samples, combined with histology, to define molecular endotypes and their tissue context. Researchers will also develop and apply AI-assisted analyses to link molecular signatures to tissue patterns, aiming to improve patient stratification. The ultimate goal is to enable precision therapies that reduce toxicity and improve outcomes for children with jSSc and jLS.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, results could lead to more precise, lower-toxicity treatments tailored to a child’s molecular disease subtype.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that combining molecular profiling with histology can reveal meaningful disease subtypes in fibrotic skin, supporting this approach’s potential.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Torok, Kathryn S. — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Torok, Kathryn S.
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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.