Abstract:Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder associated with aberrant fibrosis of the skin and internal organs that can lead to organ failure and death in patients. With few treatment options many patients succumb to fibrosis of the lungs or kidneys, or due to vascular damage culminating in pulmonary disease; the 50 percent survival rate is only about 10 years. We collected PBMCs from 36 SSc patients that were not on immune-suppressants, along with 25 age-matched healthy controls. Using… Show more
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