Washington University in St. Louis’ Research Development Office recently awarded its latest batch of “Here and Next” Seed Grants. The winning research teams are interdisciplinary and focus on five key elements of the university’s strategic plan: public health, global health, environmental research, digital transformation and research that impacts the St. Louis community. There are three […]
Burel R. Goodin, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, has received more than $3 million from the National Institute of Nursing Research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support postdoctoral training. The five-year award prepares scholars to conduct clinical research in pain and substance use disorder. Individuals affected by substance use […]
Adam Eggebrecht, PhD, an associate professor of radiology at WashU Medicine, received $4 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to disseminate powerful cloud-based resources to the brain mapping community. A researcher at WashU Medicine’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR), Eggebrecht and collaborators — […]
Ulugbek Kamilov, PhD, an associate professor of electrical and systems engineering and of computer science and engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at WashU, plans to work on innovative algorithms for computing solutions to imaging inverse problems using generative artificial intelligence (AI) models with a $20,000 gift from Google. Kamilov’s goal is to develop […]
Andrew Yoo, PhD, a professor of developmental biology at WashU Medicine, has received the 2024 Transformative Research Award, a two-year $1 million grant from the Hereditary Disease Foundation. Yoo and his collaborator, Osama Al Dalahmah, MD, PhD, of Columbia University, will use this support to pursue potential therapeutics for Huntington’s disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder […]
Sheng Chih (Peter) Jin, PhD, an assistant professor of genetics at WashU Medicine, has received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the genetic and molecular underpinnings of congenital hydrocephalus, a buildup of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain […]
Guoyan Zhao, PhD, an assistant professor of genetics and of neurology, and Erik Musiek, MD, PhD, the Charlotte & Paul Hagemann Professor of Neurology, both of WashU Medicine, have received a $433,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study brain cells called astrocytes and their roles […]
The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at WashU has received an 18-month $136,000 grant from the RRF Foundation for Aging to study how older adults understand and experience ageism. Ageism is “prevalent, invisible and hurts older people and communities,” said Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, the Bettie Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy at the Brown […]
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis faculty members Mark Rutherford, PhD, an associate professor of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, and Yang E. Li, PhD, an assistant professor of neurosurgery and of genetics, each have been awarded grants from St. Baldrick’s Foundation to study pediatric cancers. The foundation’s mission is to improve research on cancer treatments […]
Biomolecular condensates are membraneless hubs of condensed proteins and nucleic acids within cells, which researchers are realizing are tied to an increasing number of cellular processes and diseases. Studies of biomolecular condensate formation have uncovered layers of complexity, including their ability to behave like a viscoelastic material. However, the molecular basis for this putty-like property […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown how brain tumors evolve in response to therapy, helping describe how such cancers develop treatment resistance that leads to the high mortality rate characteristic of this cancer. Only 5% of patients survive five years after diagnosis with the most aggressive brain cancers. Published […]
Yao Chen, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is part of two teams that have been awarded grants to study the molecular processes that underlie memory and cognition. The grants are part of the “Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s Scialog: Molecular Basis of Cognition” initiative. The […]
Erin Foster, PhD, an associate professor of occupational therapy, and Scott Norris, MD, an associate professor of neurology, have established a site at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) study, an international study aimed at understanding the gene changes that may lead […]
There is increasing evidence that the immune system is involved in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Most research has focused on the innate immune system and its role in mediating neuroinflammation and degeneration. Naresha Saligrama, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the function of a mitochondrial protein that plays a role in human disease. The research, led by BJC Investigator Dave Pagliarini, PhD, the Hugo F. and Ina C. Urbauer Professor, could provide new ways to diagnose and develop treatments for some rare mitochondrial diseases. The […]
esearchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have devised a method to gauge Alzheimer’s disease severity by analyzing the patterns of tau pathology in brain scans. The findings could lead to a way to determine how far the disease has progressed in individuals, which could help guide treatment decisions. The accumulation and […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have devised a method to gauge Alzheimer’s disease severity by analyzing the patterns of tau pathology in brain scans. The findings could lead to a way to determine how far the disease has progressed in individuals, which could help guide treatment decisions. The accumulation and […]
A study in mice by researchers at the School of Medicine indicates that brain injury can lead to brain tumors in susceptible individuals. For this study, they used mice that model people with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder that causes brain tumors. The study showed that molecules released by injured neurons set off […]
Nine researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received funding from the Longer Life Foundation — a cooperative effort between the School of Medicine and the Reinsurance Group of America. The foundation supports research aimed at improving human health, wellness and longevity. The researchers are: Originally published on The Source.
Robert Schmidt, MD, PhD, a professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has curated a collection of more than 33,000 individually annotated neuropathology images that are now available as a resource to the Washington University and international neuroscience community via a newly launched website. Schmidt has been collecting the […]
Janine Bijsterbosch, PhD, an assistant professor of radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is part of a team of five co-principal investigators studying how symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress — together known as anxious misery — affect functional brain networks. The team received a $3.6 million grant from the National […]
Two innovative pilot projects led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received funding from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative to address critical challenges in the fields of neurodegeneration and neuroscience. The initiative has awarded a total of $12.8 million to more than 60 pilot projects nationwide. Each project receives $200,000 over […]
Scientists trying to understand the physical and chemical properties that govern biomolecular condensates now have a crucial way to measure pH and other emergent properties of these enigmatic, albeit important cellular compartments. Condensates are communities of proteins and nucleic acids. They lack a membrane and come together and fall apart as needed. The nucleolus is […]
Two Washington University in St. Louis faculty members have been awarded prestigious early-career fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Zachariah Reagh, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, and Gaia Tavoni, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine, were among 126 scientists selected for […]
Two teams of engineers led by faculty in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis will work toward developing products to monitor drinking water quality and to detect explosives with an electronic nose with one-year, $650,000 Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Barani Raman, PhD, professor […]
Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor and vice chair for innovation and translation in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a $300,000 Research to Prevent Blindness /American Macular Degeneration Foundation Catalyst Award for innovative research approaches in studying age-related […]
Our sensory systems are highly adaptable. A person who cannot see after turning off a light in the night slowly achieves superior power to see even small objects. Women often attain a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. How can the same sensory system that was underperforming can also exceed the expectation based on its […]
Biomolecular condensates transport RNA molecules inside of cells for functions such as cell signaling and regulating cell processes, but little is known about how they form distinct compositional identities, similar to how oil and water stay separated. Rohit V. Pappu, PhD, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of […]
With the increased demand for efficient hardware for artificial intelligence and integrated circuits comes a need to educate students and researchers on how to design and create these tools. To address this need, Shantanu Chakrabartty, PhD, the Clifford W. Murphy Professor and vice dean for research and graduate education at the McKelvey School of Engineering, is […]
Sarah D. Ackerman, PhD, Gabor Egervari, MD, PhD and Tao Xie, PhD, all of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have been named 2023 Young Investigator grantees by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. This year’s funding will support 150 promising early-career scientists across the field of neuropsychiatry with innovative ideas in mental health research. The two-year grant […]
Rohit Pappu, collaborators find networking afforded by interactions among RNA molecules can enable different phase behavior when heating or cooling
Cells are compartmentalized into distinct communities, with organelles and membranes keeping specific proteins and processes in one place. Interestingly, even without the benefit of a membrane, proteins and molecules can be concentrated into membraneless bodies known as biomolecular condensates. These condensates include bodies known as stress granules that form and dissolve in response to and […]
Cell-secreted proteins, such as antibodies, hormones and neurotransmitters, play a crucial role in maintaining overall health and well-being. They are also key components in disease research and in developing diagnostic tools and personalized medicines. However, current methods for studying these proteins are limited to observing large groups of cells together, which makes it difficult to […]
Jason Yi, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience, and Harrison Gabel, PhD, an associate professor of neuroscience, both at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, each have received two-year $300,000 pilot grants from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. The researchers will use the funds to investigate genetic diseases that result in autism. […]
Researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have pioneered a new technique that will enable higher-resolution imaging of very small objects like neurons. The technique, which improves on an existing method called expansion microscopy, is described in a new paper published in the journal Nano Letters. Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD and Barani […]
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are defined by structural diversity, and the determinants of this diversity are an important area of biophysical investigation. IDPs are involved in a range of important biological processes, including cell signaling and regulation, that allow healthy cells to respond to environmental factors appropriately, but they are also associated with human diseases […]
Tristan J. McIntosh, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study ethical collaborations between academia and industry in the development of brain technologies. The goal is to fill gaps in understanding the ethical complexities […]
Three researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently have received funding from the Alzheimer’s Association for projects that aim to study and make progress against the disease. Enmanuel Perez, MD, PhD, an instructor in neurology, has received a $250,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association to study how traumatic brain injury leads to […]
A team of researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has developed an energy-efficient way to consolidate long-term memories on a tiny chip. Shantanu Chakrabartty, PhD, the Clifford W. Murphy Professor in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, and members of his lab developed a […]
Jonathan D. Cooper, PhD, a professor of pediatrics, of genetics and of neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, received two grants totaling $2.55 million over five years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cooper will study enzyme replacement therapy as a possible […]
Before mixing an oil-and-vinegar-based salad dressing, the individual drops of vinegar are easily seen suspended in the oil, each with a perfectly circular boundary that delineates the two liquids. In the same way, our cells contain condensed bundles of proteins and nucleic acids called condensates delineated by clear boundaries. The boundaries are known as interfaces […]
Anuradhika Puri, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate working with Meredith Jackrel, PhD in the Department of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, won the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association’s Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship. The $150,000 award supports her work on applying the human disaggregase, HtrA1, to counter amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Originally published on […]
Four years after Washington University in St. Louis researchers detected a possible link between risk for Alzheimer’s disease and the appearance of the eye’s retina, a $10.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is expanding the effort to understand that connection. Gregory P. Van Stavern, MD, […]
Proscovia Nabunya, PhD, an assistant professor at the Brown School and co-director of the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD); and Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, both at Washington University in St. Louis, have received a five-year $1.2 million research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, […]
Patrick Hill, PhD, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a three-year $237,970 grant from Velux Stiftung, a science-funding foundation based in Switzerland, for research on future time perspective as a motivator for healthy aging practices. Originally published on The Source.
Todd Braver, PhD, a professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a $442,135 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study aging effects on the neural coding of proactive and reactive cognitive control. Originally published on The Source.
About 50 million Americans experience chronic pain. For many, the pain involves the muscle and the fascia surrounding it, creating myofascial pain with trigger points. This chronic pain syndrome significantly affects patients’ daily functioning and quality of life. While there are treatments, including physical therapy, non-opioid and opioid medications and trigger point injections, adequately controlling […]
Researchers have been experimenting with different ways to deliver genes to the brain to treat central nervous system diseases and tumors. One of the obstacles, however, is the ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier while having minimal effect on the other organs in the body. Hong Chen, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the […]
More than 10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, balance and thinking. Severity of the disease is measured through external symptoms, as there are no effective biomarkers that indicate the phase of the illness. A team of engineers, physicians and researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, […]
An interdisciplinary project has received funding to help ensure that if — or more likely, when — certain imaging tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) are put to clinical use, their inherent uncertainty is considered as part of any subsequent clinical decisions, including guiding treatment. The project, led by Abhinav Jha, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical […]