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

Seal Rock Says Parkinson’s Therapy SRT-055 Shows Promise in Lab

Seal Rock Therapeutics says its novel oral therapy program SRT-055, which aims to treat Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, showed powerful neuroprotective effects in preclinical experiments. The company now plans to advance the program’s development for Parkinson’s — and then will move toward the treatment of…

Nuplazid Can Lower Risk of Death for Parkinson’s Psychosis Patients

Mortality rates appear to be lower among people with Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP) being treated with Nuplazid (pimavanserin) relative to those using other antipsychotic medications, according to a real-world study in the U.S. The study, “Mortality in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease-Related Psychosis Treated with Pimavanserin…

Sleep Benefit May Be Explained by ‘Direct Neurochemical Evidence’

Sleep benefit — a poorly understood phenomenon where people with Parkinson’s disease have fewer symptoms upon waking up — is associated with higher levels of dopamine transporter proteins in a region of the brain called the putamen, a study shows. These findings “are meaningful because they provide direct neurochemical…

Study Challenges View of How Alpha-synuclein Drives Parkinson’s

Alpha-synuclein clumps’ toxic effects — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — are independent of the production of the protein by neurons themselves, according to a study in mice. In mice lacking alpha-synuclein, exposure to toxic protein clumping resulted in comparable neurodegeneration, which was found to be related to the…