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

ANCA blood tests may help detect kidney involvement: Study

Blood tests that look for the anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCAs) that cause ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) may help identify patients with kidney involvement, a study shows. Still, ANCA testing was not as accurate for this purpose as a kidney biopsy, wherein a small piece of kidney tissue is collected…

New B-cell growth is impaired in AAV, study finds

The production of new B-cells, a type of immune cell that helps fight infections but is also involved in the abnormal immune attacks that drive ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), is dysfunctional in people with the autoimmune disease, a study found. The findings could help shed light on the biological underpinnings…

EGPA disease symptoms don’t vary with ANCA status, study finds

Symptoms and disease manifestations of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), are generally similar between patients with and without ANCAs, the self-reactive antibodies that drive most AAV cases. That’s according to a study analyzing data from a registry of people with vasculitis, or…

Rituximab cuts recurrence risk in subglottic stenosis surgery: Study

Rituximab is superior to other immunosuppressive treatments at preventing post-surgery relapse in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) patients undergoing surgery to address subglottic stenosis, a common complication that causes airway narrowing. That’s according to a study that analyzed data from 25 GPA patients who were followed for more than…

EGPA, kidney damage raise risk of blood clots in AAV patients: Study

People with the rarest type of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), called eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), and AAV patients with reduced kidney function are more likely to experience thrombosis (blood clots that disrupt blood flow), according to a single-center study in China. Results also indicated AAV patients with higher…

Urine, blood biomarkers may help track AAV activity: Study

Biomarkers measured in blood or urine may help track disease activity and organ damage in people with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), according to a systematic review study. AAV is an autoimmune disorder in which self-reactive antibodies called anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) attack the body’s own neutrophils — a type of…

Top 10 ANCA-associated vasculitis stories of 2023

At ANCA Vasculitis News, we have spent the last year bringing you coverage of the latest developments in research and treatment for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Here, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 most-read articles of 2023, with a brief description of each. We look forward to…

ANCAs may hold unique role in vessel inflammation with EGPA

Self-reactive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, or ANCAs, may play a unique role in driving blood vessel inflammation in people with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), the rarest form of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). That’s according to a small study, which found that disease relapses outside the respiratory system occurred only in EGPA…