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The BWH-Merck Scleroderma Project
In collaboration with Merck, we are actively recruiting eligible patients with systemic sclerosis for a translational study to understand disease mechanisms behind fibrosis and to find new treatments to stop fibrosis.
About the project
Our mission
We are conducting a study looking to find inflammatory drivers of disease for patients with scleroderma. Specifically, we are using special technologies comparing skin biopsies and blood of patients with scleroderma to patients without scleroderma to try to understand what parts of a patient’s immune system are responsible for damage and inflammation in scleroderma. Our ultimate goal is to use this information to identify possible new treatments and therapeutic targets for patients with scleroderma to stop disease progression and improve the quality of life, outcomes, and care for patients with scleroderma.
Our Team
Our team is composed of experienced physicians, scientists, and computational biologists from diverse backgrounds. We bring together a range of expertise to tackle challenges facing systemic sclerosis. Our clinical team is led by Dr. Avery LaChance who directs of the Connective Tissue Diseases Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Our Approach
Our state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with the latest spatial transcriptomic technology and equipment (Xenium, 10X Genomics) to enable us to examine cells and genes inside the affected skin of patients in a unprecedented manner. Through deep spatial profiling of skin affected by systemic sclerosis, we will identify new therapeutic targets for the treatment of sy stemic sclerosis
This study is supported by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
