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

Dosing Paused in Phase 2 Branaplam Trial Due to Possible Side Effects

Due to possible side effects, dosing is being paused in the Phase 2 VIBRANT-HD clinical trial of oral branaplam (LMI070) in adults with Huntington’s disease. A scheduled assessment found “early signs” that “branaplam might be causing peripheral neuropathy,” a condition marked by pain or numbness in the extremities caused by damage…

Long-term Trials of Exercise for Huntington’s Patients Feasible

Long-term trials of interventions to promote physical activity for people with Huntington’s disease are feasible, with a “nested trial” approach that assigns some patients already taking part in an observational study to an activities group while others serve as controls, a study reported. The yearlong effort was designed as a…

#AAN2022 – Pepinemab Appears to Help Patients With Cognitive Issues

The experimental therapy pepinemab can aid cognition in people with early Huntington’s disease who showed signs of cognitive impairment when they started treatment, new analyses from the Phase 2 SIGNAL clinical trial indicate. Findings were presented at the virtual American Academy of Neurology 2022 Annual Meeting in the poster, “…

Europe Awaits Proposed New Framework for Sharing Health Data

The European Commission is expected to propose a new governing framework for health data next month, called the European Health Data Space (EHDS), with the aim of connecting national health systems to facilitate secure and efficient transfer of data across systems in different European nations. The move is expected to…

#AAN2022 – Valbenazine Quickly Eases Chorea in KINECT-HD Trial

Treatment with oral valbenazine, a dopamine-modulating medicine, significantly eased the jerky, involuntary movements of chorea after as little as two weeks for Huntington’s disease patients in a completed Phase 3 clinical trial. More study participants given valbenazine also reported an improvement in their overall health status than did those randomized to…

HTT Mutations Affect Embryo Development as Early as 2 Weeks

Mutations in the HTT gene, which cause Huntington’s disease, lead to abnormalities in development as early as two weeks after conception, a new study indicates. The study, “Huntingtin CAG expansion impairs germ layer patterning in synthetic human 2D gastruloids through polarity defects,” was published in Development.