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

PWS-causing mutations tied to unique psychiatric disorder patterns

Different types of mutations that cause Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are associated with distinct patterns of changes in the brain and psychiatric disorders, a review study highlights. “This state-of-the-art review integrates cutting-edge findings in genomics, neuroimaging, patient-derived neuronal models, and computational analytics, thus providing the most comprehensive synthesis available to…

Worldwide PWS community to make way for awareness month

May is Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) Awareness Month and the worldwide PWS community is coming together to spread awareness about the rare genetic condition. Also, May 15 is PWS Awareness Day in the U.S. The Prader-Willi Syndrome Association USA (PWSA USA) is encouraging the community to engage in…

Gene-editing tool successfully reactivates genes in PWS lab study

Researchers have successfully used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to reactivate certain maternally-inherited genes that can compensate for the loss of the corresponding paternally-inherited genes in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Done using lab-grown human stem cells with a PWS-causing mutation, the work showed that the one-time approach resulted in a sustained…