Category: McKelvey School of Engineering

The Institute for Public Health 2023 Summer Research Program kicks off with new research track, 34 trainees

The Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program launches this month with three tracks of study. This year, the program offers established tracks in Public and Global Health and in Aging and Neurological Diseases, and a new RADIANCE track in cardiovascular disease and blood disorders. Each summer, the program is open to students who seek challenge, research […]

Wearable, light-based brain-imaging tech to be commercialized with aid of NIH grant

Figuring out what’s going on inside people’s heads typically requires huge, expensive equipment and volunteers willing to spend hours performing repetitive tasks while lying inside a narrow metal tube. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are working on an alternative. They are developing a cap that can be worn while moving around normally that […]

Induction of a torpor-like state with ultrasound

Some mammals and birds have a clever way to preserve energy and heat by going into torpor, during which their body temperature and metabolic rate drop to allow them to survive potentially fatal conditions in the environment, such as extreme cold or lack of food. While a similar condition was proposed for scientists making flights […]

Data from wearables could be a boon to mental health diagnosis

Depression and anxiety are among the most common mental health disorders in the United States, but more than half of people struggling with the conditions are not diagnosed and treated. Hoping to find simple ways to detect such disorders, mental health professionals are considering the role of popular wearable fitness monitors in providing data that […]

Insight into brain’s waste clearing system may shed light on brain diseases

Like the lymphatic system in the body, the glymphatic system in the brain clears metabolic waste and distributes nutrients and other important compounds. Impairments in this system may contribute to brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. A team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has […]

Li named Wilson Professor of Engineering

Jr-Shin Li, PhD, a professor of systems science and mathematics in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, has been installed as the Newton R. and Sarah Louisa Glasgow Wilson Professor of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Although he received the professorship title in 2021, his installation ceremony was delayed […]

Pappu to explore ways in which charge contributes to diverse states of proteins

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 […]

Four inducted into Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

The Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, established in 2005 by Yale University and Howard University to recognize outstanding scholarly achievement, recently inducted four doctoral candidates from Washington University in St. Louis. Named after the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States, the honor society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in […]

Inaugural Danforth St. Louis Confluence conference elevates community research

Matthew Kreuter, a faculty member at the Brown School, is the first recipient of the William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award (STLCA), the Office of the Provost announced. The award focuses on and elevates Washington University in St. Louis’ investment in the region by encouraging research that enhances community impact. “William H. Danforth is the […]

Four Washington University faculty named AIMBE Fellows

Four Washington University in St. Louis faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), joining 20 existing Fellows at Washington University. They are among 140 engineers inducted March 27 in Washington. AIMBE’s College of Fellows is limited to the top 2% of medical and biological engineers and […]

ICTS Announces 2023-2024 CTRFP Awardees

Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital awards 28 investigators as part of the 16th annual Clinical and Translational Research Funding Program (CTRFP). The CTRFP is the largest internal grant funding program of the ICTS. Applicants are required to submit proposals for projects that promote the translation […]

Quantum tunneling to boost memory consolidation in AI

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 […]

Research in Braver and Ching labs could boost thinking, focus

Todd Braver, PhD, professor of psychological and brain sciences, and ShiNung Ching, PhD, associate professor of electrical and systems engineering, have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than $400,000 to investigate a new way to improve thinking and focus — work that could one day help restore short-term memory in older […]

Focused ultrasound technique leads to release of neurodegenerative disorders biomarkers

Several progressive neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, are defined by having tau proteins in the brain. Researchers are seeking to identify the mechanisms behind these tau proteins to develop treatments, however, their efforts to detect biomarkers in blood has been hampered by the protective blood-brain barrier. At Washington University in St. Louis, new research from […]

Interfaces play important role in condensate behavior

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 […]

Genin, Guilak named to National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has elected two Washington University in St. Louis faculty members to its 2022 cohort of fellows: Guy Genin, PhD, the Harold and Kathleen Faught Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, and Farshid Guilak, PhD, the Mildred B. Simon Research Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the School of Medicine. Election […]

Suicide prevention training teaches users to recognize, respond to suicidal behavior

QPR training, a nationally recognized suicide prevention program, is now available to all students, faculty and staff at Washington University in St. Louis. Kirk Dougher, associate vice chancellor for student support and wellness, and Arie Baker, director of health promotion and wellness at Habif Health and Wellness Center, liken QPR to CPR — an emergency […]

Center for Biomolecular Condensates launches

A new multidisciplinary center focused on biomolecular condensates — distinct molecular communities that make up the building blocks of life — has launched at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. The center kicked off with an inaugural symposium Oct. 14, highlighted by the Condensates Colloquium Series. Center director Rohit Pappu, PhD, […]

Multi-scale imaging technique may enable objective assessment of myofascial pain

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 […]

A sound approach for effective gene therapy delivery to brain

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 […]

Biomarkers for Parkinson’s disease sought through imaging

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, […]

How do cells take out the trash?

Unfolded proteins are unhealthy proteins. When found inside of cells, they are rounded up, identified, and destroyed. This is an important quality-control process, especially in the brain and the heart. How these unfolded proteins are identified, however, has been a mystery. Now, research led by Kiersten Ruff, a senior research scientist in the lab of […]

Kamilov awarded second Scialog grant

Ulugbek Kamilov, PhD, assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering and of computer science at Washington University in St. Louis’ McKelvey School of Engineering, is among 21 early-career researchers awarded funding in the second year of Scialog: Advancing Bioimaging. The project is supported by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the […]

Personalized prediction of depression treatment outcomes with wearables

Over the past several years, managing one’s mental health has become more of a priority with an increased emphasis on self-care. Depression alone affects more than 300 million people worldwide annually. Recognizing this, there is significant interest to leverage popular wearable devices to monitor an individual’s mental health by measuring markers such as activity levels, […]