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

Tenax Plans Phase 3 Trial of TNX-201 for Later This Year

Tenax Therapeutics has completed a pharmacological assessment of TNX-201, the company’s new oral formulation of imatinib for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), in healthy volunteers. The assessment included comparisons against Gleevec, another oral formulation of imatinib sold by Novartis that is approved to treat certain blood cancers, but was…

Top 10 Pulmonary Hypertension Stories of 2021

Pulmonary Hypertension News brought you the latest coverage of advances in treatment, clinical trials, and scientific research related to pulmonary hypertension (PH) throughout 2021. We look forward to continuing to report more news to patients, family members, and caregivers dealing with PH in the new year. Here are the…

Specialty Care Can Lower Need for Hospitalization With PH-HFpEF

Care at a specialty center is tied to a lower risk of hospitalization for people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) who have pulmonary hypertension, according to a new study. The study, “Improved Hospitalization Rates in a Specialty Center for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction…

Aerovate Launches Clinical Trial of AV-101 in PAH

Aerovate Therapeutics is starting a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial that will test AV-101, the company’s experimental inhaled formulation of imatinib, in people with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). “We are excited and humbled to initiate this Phase 2b/Phase 3 trial of AV-101. Starting enrollment represents an important milestone for Aerovate Therapeutics and…

KER-012 Prevents Heart Damage in PH Mice

Treatment with the experimental medication KER-012 helped to prevent heart damage in a mouse model of pulmonary hypertension, new research shows. The findings were showcased by KER-012’s developer, Keros Therapeutics, at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2021 Scientific Sessions, held Nov. 13–15, according to a company press…

Genetic Analysis Spots Cancer Therapies With Potential to Treat PH

By analyzing how medications affect the genetic activity of cells, researchers developed a computational pipeline that may be useful in repurposing cancer treatments for use in other diseases. Leveraging this pipeline, the team identified two compounds, I-BET762 and BRD2889, that might be refined — more quickly and at lower cost…

FDA Declines to Approve Tyvaso DPI, Citing Inspection Issue

Due to problems at a third-party facility, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to not approve Tyvaso DPI, a dry powder inhaled formulation of treprostinil, at this time. According to United Therapeutics, the medication’s developer, the issue is expected to be dealt with soon. The company anticipates…

PH Patients at High Risk of Misusing Opioids After Surgery

People with pulmonary hypertension (PH) who start treatment with opioids to manage pain after undergoing surgery are at high risk of continuing to take these addictive medications for longer than required, new research suggests. Indeed, hypertension was one of eight specifically identified “top risk factors” for “new persistent post-surgical…

Blocking Specific PI3K Protein Prevents PH in Animal Models

Targeting a protein called p110a, a part of the PI3K family of enzymes, may be useful for preventing or even reversing pulmonary hypertension, research done in cells and rodent models showed. “Targeted inhibition of [p110a] offers a disease-modifying treatment approach, which is readily accessible by small molecule inhibitors and…