Small blood vessel damage and lung scarring in systemic sclerosis
Official title: Vasculopathy and Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11177962 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether tiny blood vessel damage in the lungs and body leads to lung scarring in adults with systemic sclerosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $704,693 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL164758-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177962 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 or older with a diagnosis of systemic sclerosis, with or without signs of interstitial lung disease, would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without systemic sclerosis, those under age 21, or individuals whose lung disease is due to infection or cancer are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will follow 100 adults with systemic sclerosis over time and use chest CT blood-volume imaging, peripheral microvascular measurements, lung function tests, and blood-based molecular markers to study blood-vessel health. They will compare people with and without interstitial lung disease (ILD) to see if reduced lung microvascular perfusion or peripheral endothelial dysfunction links to ILD. The team combines structural imaging, functional testing, and molecular analyses to trace how vascular injury might lead to lung inflammation and fibrosis. Results will be used to identify vascular features that could become targets to prevent or slow SSc-ILD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or slow lung scarring in people with systemic sclerosis by targeting blood-vessel injury.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have suggested a link between vascular injury and SSc-ILD but no trials have yet tested interventions to prevent ILD, so this combined imaging and molecular approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bernstein, Elana J. — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Bernstein, Elana J.
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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New treatments for lung scarring in systemic sclerosis
This project looks for new drug targets and therapies to help people with systemic sclerosis who have scarring in their lungs.
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.