Hyaluronidase Injections for Sclerodactyly in Patients With Scleroderma

October 29, 2026 updated by: Nour Kibbi, Stanford University

Intradermal Hyaluronidase for Sclerodactyly in Systemic Sclerosis: A Prospective Split-Hand Controlled Pilot Study

Systemic sclerosis can cause the skin of the fingers to become thick and tight, a condition called sclerodactyly. This can make it difficult to bend, straighten, and use the fingers. This study will evaluate whether intradermal injections of hyaluronidase (Amphadase) can improve hand mobility and function and will assess treatment-related side effects.

Approximately 10 adults with systemic sclerosis and sclerodactyly affecting both hands will participate at Stanford University. For each participant, one hand will be randomly selected by coin flip to receive hyaluronidase injections, while the opposite hand will serve as an untreated control. Participants may receive up to four injection sessions at baseline and approximately months 1, 2, and 3. Both hands will receive the same home exercise guidance throughout the study.

Participants will undergo assessments at baseline and months 1, 2, 3, and 6, including hand mobility and skin examinations, hand function questionnaires, and assessment of symptoms and adverse events. Researchers will compare changes between the treated and untreated hands. The investigator performing hand outcome assessments will be blinded to treatment assignment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
10

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Stanford, California, United States, 94305
        • Stanford University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older.
  • Documented diagnosis of scleroderma
  • Clinically evident bilateral sclerodactyly involving both hands,
  • Able and willing to comply with study visits and assessments.
  • Able to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age younger than 18 years.
  • Unable to provide informed consent.
  • Absence of bilateral sclerodactyly sufficient to permit treatment and comparison.
  • Known hypersensitivity to hyaluronidase or any component of the study drug.
  • Active infection, acute inflammation, or another condition at a planned injection site that would make intradermal injection unsafe.
  • Pregnancy or anticipated pregnancy.
  • Declines participation.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Arm Title: Left Hand Hyaluronidase, Right Hand Control

Participants assigned to this arm will receive intradermal hyaluronidase injections in the left hand, while the right hand serves as an untreated control. Up to four treatment sessions will be administered at approximately monthly intervals. Both hands will undergo standardized assessments throughout the study.
Drug: hyaluronidase

Hyaluronidase (Amphadase) will be administered by intradermal injection into the randomly selected treatment hand using the commercially available formulation. Participants may receive up to four treatment sessions, at baseline and approximately months 1, 2, and 3, with a maximum dose of 150 USP units (1.0 mL) per session. The contralateral hand will receive no injections and serve as an untreated control throughout the 6-month study period.

Other Names:
  • Amphadase
Experimental: Right Hand Hyaluronidase, Left Hand Control

Participants assigned to this arm will receive intradermal hyaluronidase injections in the right hand, while the left hand serves as an untreated control. Up to four treatment sessions will be administered at approximately monthly intervals. Both hands will undergo standardized assessments throughout the study.
Drug: hyaluronidase

Hyaluronidase (Amphadase) will be administered by intradermal injection into the randomly selected treatment hand using the commercially available formulation. Participants may receive up to four treatment sessions, at baseline and approximately months 1, 2, and 3, with a maximum dose of 150 USP units (1.0 mL) per session. The contralateral hand will receive no injections and serve as an untreated control throughout the 6-month study period.

Other Names:
  • Amphadase

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Different Between Hands in Change From Baseline in Modified Hand Mobility in Scleroderma (mHAMIS) Score
Time Frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

Hand mobility will be assessed using the modified Hand Mobility in Scleroderma (mHAMIS) score for each hand. Measurements will be obtained at baseline and months 1, 2, 3, and 6. Changes from baseline will be calculated separately for the hyaluronidase-treated hand and the contralateral untreated control hand. The primary outcome will be the within-participant difference in change in mHAMIS score between the treated and control hands. Score ranges from 0 to 12 for each hand. A higher score means a greater degree of hand dysfunction.
Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Difference Between Hands in Change From Baseline in Regional Modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS)
Time Frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

Skin thickening will be assessed using the regional modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS) for each hand. Changes from baseline will be calculated separately for the hyaluronidase-treated and untreated control hands. Within-participant differences will be compared to evaluate changes in skin thickening over time . Score ranges from 0-3 for each area, with higher score indicating more severe skin thickening.
Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6
Difference Between Hands in Change From Baseline in Finger-to-Palm Distance
Time Frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

Finger-to-palm distance will be measured separately for each hand to assess finger flexion. Changes from baseline will be calculated for the hyaluronidase-treated hand and the contralateral untreated control hand. Within-participant differences will be compared to evaluate changes in finger mobility following treatment. A higher score (distance greater than 0 cm) means the finger is further from the palm.
Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6
Patient-Reported Pain Score in the Hyaluronidase-Treated Hand
Time Frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

Participants will report pain associated with the hyaluronidase-treated hand using a numerical rating scale from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst possible pain. Pain scores will be recorded during treatment visits to evaluate treatment-related discomfort.
Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6
Number of Participants With Treatment-Related Adverse Events
Time Frame: Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

The number of participants experiencing treatment-related adverse events will be recorded throughout the study.
Baseline and Months 1, 2, 3, and 6

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Stanford University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nour Kibbi, MD, Stanford University
  • Study Director: Winnie Fan, MD, Stanford University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 88118

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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