Moreover, pharmacological inhibitors of CDK5 prevented, as well as reversed, stimulation of collagen synthesis and myofibroblast differentiation in fibroblast monolayer cultures and in ex vivo skin organ cultures, ameliorated collagen overproduction in SSc fibroblasts, and prevented and reversed skin fibrosis in distinct in vivo models of SSc. Here, CDK5 is linked to systemic sclerosis.