Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

Marisa holds a Master of Science in cellular and molecular pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied novel genetic drivers of ovarian cancer. Her areas of expertise include cancer biology, immunology, and genetics, and she has worked as a science writing and communications intern for the Genetics Society of America.

Articles by Marisa Wexler

Janssen asks FDA to approve macitentan, tadalafil combo tablet

Janssen Pharmaceuticals has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of a combination tablet containing both macitentan and tadalafil as a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). “People with PAH are often prescribed numerous medicines to manage their condition, so the potential…

Inhaled imatinib treatment found safe in healthy people in study

Treatment with AER-901, an inhaled formulation of imatinib that Aerami Therapeutics is developing as a treatment for two forms of pulmonary hypertension, was generally well-tolerated in a Phase 1 study conducted with healthy volunteers. That’s according to safety data presented by Aerami at the 2023 American Thoracic Society…

KER-012 reduces markers of heart damage, fibrosis in Phase 1 study

Treatment with KER-012, an experimental therapy Keros Therapeutics is developing to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), lowered markers of heart damage, fibrosis, and inflammation in a Phase 1 clinical trial that tested the therapy in healthy postmenopausal women. Keros presented the findings at the American Thoracic Society (ATS)…

Patients’ mental, physical health improved during pandemic: Study

Many people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) report better mental and physical health following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study found. “Unexpectedly, we found that some objective measures of pulmonary hypertension disease severity actually improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included longer 6-minute walk distances, lower NT-proBNP…

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty may be ‘life-changing’ for CTEPH patients

Balloon pulmonary angioplasty, or BPA, can be an effective treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a new study highlights. “Patients treated with BPA experienced improvement in functional class and exercise capabilities, with relatively low rates of procedure-related complications,” researchers wrote. The study, “Refined Balloon Pulmonary…

Three-molecule panel may help detect PAH in children with CHD

Measuring blood levels of three molecules — SAM, guanine, and NT-proBNP — could help identify pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in children with congenital heart diseases (CHD), a study suggests. “This 3-marker panel has the potential to be used in clinical practice for the early diagnosis and screening of PAH-CHD,”…

Use of PADN device lowers risk of clinical worsening with PAH

Treatment with Pulnovo Medical’s pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) device significantly reduced the risk of clinical worsening among people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a clinical trial, according to new data announced by the company. Chen Shaoliang, a professor at Nanjing First Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in China,…

Tenax Granted US Patent for Levosimendan as Treatment for PH

The experimental therapy levosimendan has been awarded a U.S. patent covering its use for pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (PH-HFpEF), according to developer Tenax Therapeutics. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a notice of allowance to Tenax for a patent for…


A Conversation With Rare Disease Advocates