title: Clinical trials and basic research: defining mechanisms and improving treatment in connective tissue disease.
abstract: Despite advances in elucidating the pathogenic factors responsible for its development, systemic sclerosis remains complex and poorly understood, and treatment options are limited. Multidisciplinary collaborative efforts are needed to better characterize clinical and prognostic parameters and to design and implement large-scale clinical trials in well defined populations with therapies that target potential disease modulators.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California San Diego, Campus Point Drive, La Jolla, California 92037-7381, USA. ljrubin@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Lewis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Carol M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Denton
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Seibold
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D012107:Research Design / Q000639:trends; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*