Marisa Wexler, MS,  —

Marisa holds an MS in Cellular and Molecular Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied novel genetic drivers of ovarian cancer. She specializes in cancer biology, immunology, and genetics. Marisa began working with BioNews in 2018, and has written about science and health for SelfHacked and the Genetics Society of America. She also writes/composes musicals and coaches the University of Pittsburgh fencing club.

Articles by Marisa Wexler

FDA puts CAR T-cell therapy ADI-001 on fast track

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to CAR T-cell therapy ADI-001 as a potential treatment for lupus nephritis, a lupus complication marked by kidney damage and inflammation. The FDA gives fast track status to experimental treatments that have the potential to fill unmet…

Lupus consortium partners with FDA on cell therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) is joining the Lupus Accelerating Breakthroughs Consortium (Lupus ABC) to focus on CAR T-cell treatments and other engineered cell therapies, a promising new therapeutic field now being explored for lupus. “We are delighted to have…

Itolizumab reduces urine protein levels in Phase 1B clinical trial

Treatment with the investigational injection therapy itolizumab significantly reduced urine protein levels, a marker of kidney dysfunction, in people with active lupus nephritis, a serious lupus complication marked by kidney damage and inflammation. That’s according to top-line results from a Phase 1b trial called EQUALISE (NCT04128579) that were…

First SLE patient dosed in CAR T-cell therapy Phase 1 trial

The first participant has been treated in a Phase 1 clinical trial testing the CAR T-cell therapy CC-97540 (BMS-986353) in people with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). “The opportunity to provide lupus patients with access to this treatment, all while ensuring they receive the highest level of care, is…

Hydroxychloroquine doesn’t seem to lower lupus preeclampsia risk

The antimalarial agent hydroxychloroquine doesn’t appear to lower the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy in women with lupus, a study reports. The study, “Hydroxychloroquine in lupus pregnancy and risk of preeclampsia,” was published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication marked by high…

Off-the-shelf CAR cell therapy to enter SLE trial next year

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Century Therapeutics to start a Phase 1 clinical trial that will test its off-the-shelf cell therapy CNTY-101 in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Phase 1 study will enroll people with moderate to severe SLE who’ve failed to respond…

Phase 1/2 Trial of GC012F in hard-to-treat SLE expected by 2024

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Gracell Biotechnologies the green light to start a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to test its experimental cell therapy GC012F in people with difficult-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study’s Phase 1 portion should start in 2024 to assess the safety,…