logo

project details

Building trial capacity in systemic sclerosis: setting the stage for cohort-embedded pragmatic clinical trials

Université de Montréal
8 Sites
ON, QC, AB, BC, MB

Dr. Sabrina Hoa

When the skin is injured, it usually heals smoothly, but sometimes scars form that are thick, raised, painful, or restrict movement. These are called problematic scars. The goal of this project is to understand why some people develop these abnormal scars by studying the immune and healing cells in the skin. We will create a national research network linking doctors and scientists who study wound healing and scarring, and collect small skin samples from people with different types of scars and from those living with systemic sclerosis (a disease that causes severe skin and organ fibrosis). By comparing normal and scarred skin using advanced genetic tools, we aim to find the immune pathways that lead to scarring. This information will help identify new ways to prevent or treat problematic scars. The project will also involve patients in designing research that reflects their lived experience and priorities. In the long term, this collaboration will lead to new treatments to reduce scarring and improve the lives of Canadians affected by these conditions.

view our other projects