Marta Figueiredo, PhD, science writer —

Marta holds a biology degree, a master’s in evolutionary and developmental biology, and a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Lisbon, Portugal. She was awarded a research scholarship and a PhD scholarship, and her research focused on the role of several signaling pathways in thymus and parathyroid glands embryonic development. She also previously worked as an assistant professor of an annual one-week embryology course at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine.

Articles by Marta Figueiredo

At-home Exercises May Help Shoulder Function in Hypermobile EDS

Evidence-based, at-home exercise programs may ease shoulder instability in women with hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and those with hypermobile spectrum disorder (HSD), a small study suggests. Two six-month programs — one based on the latest hEDS/HSD research and another on shoulder instability research — led to comparable, clinically…

Immune Dysfunction Common in Hypermobile EDS, Study Finds

Immune dysfunction — including abnormal activation of mast cells and antibody deficiency — is common among people with hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and those with hypermobile spectrum disorder (HSD), according to a U.S. study. These findings suggest that hEDS and its associated tissue fragility may increase the susceptibility…

New COL3A1 Mutation Linked to Vascular EDS in Japanese Woman

A new mutation in the COL3A1 gene has been linked to vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) in a woman in Japan, scientists report. This genetic variant — which was not found among more than 8,000 healthy Japanese people nor in worldwide databases of disease-associated variants — adds to the increasing number…

Periodontal EDS Patients May Show Rare Blood-vessel Abnormalities

Some people diagnosed with periodontal Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (pEDS) may also have vascular abnormalities, a case series highlights. Although rare, these cases add to previous reports of vascular complications in pEDS patients and support the need for comprehensive vascular assessment in this patient population. This information will likely help to…