Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Margarida is a biochemist (University of Porto, Portugal) with a PhD in biomedical sciences (VIB and KULeuven, Belgium). Her main interest is science communication. She is also passionate about design and the dialogue between art and science.

Articles by Margarida Maia

MJFF grant will aid Stealth’s study of mitochondrial biomarkers

A grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) will support a two-year preclinical study by Stealth Biotherapeutics to evaluate its investigational therapy SBT-272, a small molecule designed to target cells’ mitochondria. The study is intended to identify biomarkers of mitochondrial dysfunction, a phenomenon often…

MJFF, Quansys to develop immunoassays for Parkinson’s

Quansys Biosciences and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) are teaming up to develop tests that can help monitor Parkinson’s disease progression and evaluate treatment effectiveness in clinical trials. The partnership builds on the company’s expertise in immunoassays, a type of test that uses…

‘Young’ transplanted stem cell neurons ease symptoms in rats

Skin cells from people with Parkinson’s disease were transformed into stem cells that could generate dopamine-producing neurons, the same type that’s progressively lost with the disease. The technique opens new avenues for cell therapies to treat Parkinson’s while avoiding possible immune rejections. The researchers used animal models of the…

Gaps in US healthcare bigger for certain Parkinson’s patients: Study

Gaps in healthcare for individuals with Parkinson’s disease in the U.S. have been identified, with notable disparities observed for women, individuals belonging to minority groups, and residents living in rural areas. That’s according to a study utilizing 2019 Medicare data, which includes approximately 90% of individuals living with Parkinson’s…

Improved software for deep brain stimulation wins FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Boston Scientific’s software called Vercise Neural Navigator 5, which provides visual guidance on how to best program deep brain stimulation (DBS) settings for Parkinson’s disease. The improved software features an enhanced user-friendly interface that presents simplified patient data and…