Vanda Pinto, PhD,  science writer—

Vanda is a biochemist with a PhD in biomedicine from the University of Porto, Portugal. She conducted her postdoctoral research first at the Bristol Medical School, U.K., studying the insulin-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in diabetic nephropathy, then at the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, where her focus was on glycosylation in lupus nephritis and inflammatory bowel disease. She next made the switch to science publishing, handling papers in biochemistry, molecular biology, and immunology.

Articles by Vanda Pinto

Moving From Tracleer to Letairis Seen as Safe for PAH Patients

People with stable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) can safely switch from Tracleer (bosentan) to Letairis (ambrisentan) without compromising their heart function or general health status, a study from China reports. PAH patients in Hunan province may also benefit financially by moving from Tracleer to Letairis, as it…

New IPAH Gene Variants Identified in Large Global Study

A study of rare gene variants has identified two new candidates — fibulin 2 (FBLN2) and platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGFD) — that increase risk for adult-onset idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). In-depth genetic analyses also predicted that about 15% of IPAH cases in children are caused by de…

Repurposed Trifluoperazine (TFP) May Be Effective PAH Therapy

Trifluoperazine or TFP, an approved schizophrenia medication, also may be effective in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a preclinical study suggests. In rat models of PAH, trifluoperazine was found to provide therapeutic benefits — without causing detectable side effects. The study, “Preclinical Investigation of Trifluoperazine…

Some PAH Patients May Benefit from Switch to Adempas

Intermediate-risk pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients may see their symptoms improve after switching from phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE-5i) to Adempas (riociguat), results from the Phase 4 REPLACE clinical trial show. The transition to Adempas also appears to be a safer option than with PDE-5i maintenance therapy. The study, “Switching…

Study Pinpoints Altered Biological Pathways in Endothelial Cells

Several proteins involved in vascular remodeling, metabolism, and oxidative stress are not properly regulated in endothelial cells from patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a study found. The study, “Protein network analyses of pulmonary endothelial cells in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension,” was published in the journal…

Menopause at Young Ages Linked to Higher PH Risk in UK Study

Women who reach menopause prematurely — meaning before age 40 — are two times more likely to develop pulmonary hypertension (PH) than those who do not, a study found. Analysis of medical records covering over 150,000 women registered in the U.K. Biobank also showed that this risk was not associated…