Andrea Lobo,  —

Andrea Lobo is a Science writer at BioNews. She holds a Biology degree and a PhD in Cell Biology/Neurosciences from the University of Coimbra-Portugal, where she studied stroke biology. She was a postdoctoral and senior researcher at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health in Porto, in drug addiction, studying neuronal plasticity induced by amphetamines. As a research scientist for 19 years, Andrea participated in academic projects in multiple research fields, including stroke, gene regulation, cancer, and rare diseases. She authored multiple research papers in peer-reviewed journals. She shifted towards a career in science writing and communication in 2022.

Articles by Andrea Lobo

PAH therapy reverses blood vessel remodeling in preclinical model

Cereno Scientific’s investigational therapy CS014 was found to reverse remodeling, meaning alterations in structure and arrangement, of pulmonary arteries in a preclinical model of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). According to the company, the new preclinical data “provide the most compelling evidence to date that CS014 offers a…

Riociguat found safe, effective for PAH with coexisting conditions

Treatment with Adempas (riociguat) is generally safe and effective for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and coexisting cardiometabolic conditions, or those that affect the heart and metabolism, according to a pooled analysis of clinical trials. “Efficacy and risk assessment results suggest that [Adempas] can be beneficial for…

CS1 receives orphan medicinal product status for PAH in Europe

The European Commission has granted orphan medicinal product designation to Cereno Scientific’s CS1 for the treatment of people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This designation is given to medications for life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases, affecting up to five per 10,000 individuals in the European Union (EU), or…

European Commission approves Winrevair to treat PAH in adults

Winrevair (sotatercept-csrk), Merck’s injection therapy for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), has been approved in the European Union, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. The approval from the European Commission specifically covers Winrevair when used in combination with other PAH therapies to improve…

Asporin may be biomarker, therapeutic target in PAH: Study

The protein asporin was identified as a possible biomarker of disease severity and to be protective in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a study suggests that used lung and blood samples from people with the disease. The protein was increased in PAH patients and correlated with reduced disease severity. In…

PH diagnosis raises ILD patients’ healthcare costs, burden: Study

People with interstitial lung disease face higher healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and increased medical costs if they are also diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension (PH-ILD), according to a U.S. study. Factors associated with increased burden and costs include a significantly higher need for inpatient care, longer hospitalizations,  as well as…

Parental cigarette smoking raises PAH risk for their babies: Study

Children of cigarette-smoking parents are at greater risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PHA) within a year after birth, according to a new study by researchers in Iran. Specifically, almost half of babies exposed to parental cigarette smoke were diagnosed with PAH, while none of the children with nonsmoking…

Molecules in blood, urine may help detect PH in children with CHD

Two molecules, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), showed a potential to diagnose pulmonary hypertension  early in children with congenital heart disease based on their levels in blood and urine samples examined in a study. 5-HIAA is the main product of the breakdown of serotonin, a…

Economic burden in PAH mainly due to treatment, hospital costs

Healthcare costs were found to be more than eight times higher for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) compared with patients without the disease in a real-world study — which contributed to the greater economic burden seen for those being treated for PAH. These costs were mainly driven by…

Gemcitabine, chemotherapy for solid tumors, may lead to PAH

Gemcitabine, a chemotherapy given to treat solid cancers, may drive the onset of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients or worsen existing PAH, a recent study reports. Stopping treatment with gemcitabine, with or without a subsequent PAH-approved treatment, led to clinical improvement or disease stabilization for a majority…

Higher Revatio dose not linked to increased mortality in PAH: Trial

Treatment with Revatio (sildenafil) at a higher dose than the recommended and previously approved doses did not significantly increase mortality of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). That’s according to results from the Phase 3b/4 AFFILIATE trial (NCT02060487), which compared three treatment doses, each given three times…