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

SMA treatment videos on YouTube vary as source of solid information

Some videos on YouTube, particularly in-depth ones made by healthcare professionals, provide high-quality and reliable information about treatments for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a new study highlights. But many of the examined videos concerning SMA treatments are neither high quality nor reliable, the researchers found, adding importance to identifying…

Diagnosis Through Newborn Screening Yields Better Outcomes

Newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), coupled with early access to disease-modifying therapies, can improve the likelihood that children with the disease will be able to walk, a new study suggests. Also, fewer patients in the newborn screening group tended to require ventilatory or feeding support,…

Muscle Strengthener Found to Ease Patient Fatigue in Small Study

Treatment with the muscle strengthener pyridostigmine may reduce patient-reported fatigue among people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), results from a small clinical trial suggest. Still, the treatment failed to ease motor fatigue and improve motor function compared with a placebo — which were the main goals of the…

Top 10 SMA Stories of 2022

The team at SMA News Today brought you daily coverage of the latest developments in treatment and advancements in research related to spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in 2022. We look forward to continuing to serve the SMA community in the new year. Here we’ve compiled a list of…