Andrea Lobo, PhD, science writer —

Andrea Lobo holds a PhD in cell biology/neurosciences from the University of Coimbra-Portugal, where she studied stroke biology. As a research scientist for 19 years, Andrea participated in academic projects in multiple research fields, from stroke, gene regulation, cancer, and rare diseases. She has authored multiple research papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Articles by Andrea Lobo

Daratumumab helps to send severe, hard-to-treat GPA into remission

Daratumumab helped in the remission of severe lung and skin symptoms in a young man with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), a type of ANCA–associated vasculitis (AAV), scientists in Germany report. An immunotherapy approved to treat multiple myeloma (sold as Darzalex), daratumumab was added after the patient failed to respond…

Use of maintenance therapy in AAV not found to increase infection risk

Maintenance therapy with immunosuppressive agents such as rituximab and azathioprine do not increase the frequency of serious infections beyond what’s expected in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a new review study. Regardless of the medication used, fatal infections were uncommon during the maintenance therapy period, data…

Tavneos’ use by AAV patients prior to approval support its safety

Tavneos (avacopan) was generally safe and well tolerated in adults with severe ANCA-associated vasculitis treated under a global early access program (EAP) before the therapy’s approval, a study showed. EAPs make investigational therapies available outside clinical trials to people with serious or life-threatening conditions who have few or no…

Higher PR3-related AAV relapse risk may be tied to gene mutation

A gene variant linked to increased production of proteinase-3 (PR3) — one of the targets of disease-causing antibodies in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) — is more common among patients with anti-PR3 antibodies than those with antibodies against the myeloperoxidase (MPO) protein, a study showed. The higher blood PR3 levels with this…