{
  "id": 6293872,
  "title": "Experimental study points to systemic sclerosis treatment",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/experimental-study-points-to-systemic-sclerosis-treatment",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-08T16:00:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-experimental-sclerosis-treatment.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Investigators at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University have developed an experimental drug that may reverse the effects of systemic sclerosis, a severe autoimmune condition. The study, published in JCI Insight, demonstrates the drug's potential as a future treatment for the disease, which affects approximately 100,000 people in the U.S. and currently has no cure.\n\nSystemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is characterized by the scarring of skin, lungs, heart, and other organs. Existing treatments aim to alleviate symptoms, but no cure exists. To address this unmet need, researchers tested a synthetic noncoding RNA, called TY1, on immune cells from systemic sclerosis patients. The drug was found to reduce inflammation and DNA damage in these cells.\n\nIn laboratory mice with a condition resembling systemic sclerosis, TY1 improved heart function, physical activity, and reduced scar formation in organs. The drug, which was developed at Cedars-Sinai, is a synthetic version of a type of noncoding RNA that regulates cellular processes. Prior research by the same team showed TY1 reduced tissue damage in heart attack patients.\n\nThe study's lead author, Eduardo Marbán, M.D., Ph.D., expressed excitement about the findings, stating that the drug's ability to block a key immune system pathway driving systemic sclerosis makes it a promising therapy. Ahmed Ibrahim, Ph.D., a co-investigator and associate professor of cardiology, emphasized that systemic sclerosis is a devastating disease, and TY1's potential to reduce tissue damage in laboratory experiments addressing heart attacks led investigators to test its effect on autoimmune disorders.\n\nThe researchers are now preparing an investigational new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, marking the first step towards obtaining approval to study TY1 in people with systemic sclerosis. This study highlights how research on one disease can lead to discoveries in another, offering hope for patients with systemic sclerosis who have waited for better treatment options for decades.",
  "summary": "Investigators at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University used an experimental drug to reverse the effects of systemic sclerosis, a serious autoimmune disease. The study, conducted in a laboratory, was published in JCI Insight.",
  "key_points": [
    "Cedars-Sinai researchers develop experimental drug TY1 for systemic sclerosis treatment.",
    "Study shows TY1 reduces inflammation and DNA damage in immune cells from patients.",
    "TY1 improved heart function and reduced scar formation in laboratory mice with systemic sclerosis."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}