What is the Scleroderma Family Registry and DNA Repository?
The Scleroderma Family Registry and DNA Repository is a research study established in September 2000, with funding from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The overall objective is to identify the genes that influence scleroderma. For this study, families with only one case of scleroderma (singleton families), and those with more than one case (multiplex families) will be included. What is the Purpose of the registry? In order to accomplish this objective, the project has the following specific objectives: 1. To determine the precise frequency that scleroderma occurs in more than one family member and to determine the frequency that other autoimmune diseases (like lupus) occur in families with at least one scleroderma case. 2. To identify genes affecting the expression of SSc. 3. To establish a repository of DNA and serum on 400 singleton families and 100 multiplex families and to provid
