Washington University School of Medicine and BJC Health System, both located in St. Louis, have launched the joint Center for Health AI to harness the power of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and fundamentally change the way health care is provided. The center will focus on making care more personalized and effective for patients and more […]
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 […]
Even treated with the most advanced therapies, patients with glioblastoma — an aggressive brain cancer — typically survive less than two years after diagnosis. Efforts to treat this cancer with the latest immunotherapies have been unsuccessful, likely because glioblastoma cells have few, if any, natural targets for the immune system to attack. In a cell-based […]
Most people who visit a doctor when they feel unwell seek a diagnosis and a treatment plan. But for some 30 million Americans with rare diseases, their symptoms don’t match well-known disease patterns, sending families on diagnostic odysseys that can last years or even lifetimes. But a cross-disciplinary team of researchers and physicians from Washington […]
Harnessing this process may offer therapies for neuroinflammatory diseases such as MS, mouse study suggests
Four faculty members from Washington University in St. Louis were named Distinguished Investigators by the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research. Adam Eggebrecht, PhD, Manu Goyal, PhD, Abhinav Jha, PhD and Daniel Thorek, PhD were honored for their outstanding contributions to the field of medical imaging. All four honorees are associate professors at WashU Medicine’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, and […]
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 […]
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 27, numerous faculty members were granted tenure, effective that day. Granting of tenure Kirsten Gilbert Alberts, PhD as an associate professor of psychiatry at WashU Medicine; Robert A. Campbell, PhD as an associate professor of emergency medicine at WashU Medicine; Carmen M. Halabi, MD, PhD as […]
To address childhood malnutrition — which affects 200 million children globally — researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis developed a therapeutic food that nourishes the collections of beneficial microbes that reside in the gut, and improves children’s growth and other measures of their health. But to understand just how this food […]
Device delivers naloxone upon sensing drop in respiration, animal study shows
Event honored scientists who received their first R01 research grants from the National Institutes of Health
When trying to understand how genetic influences factor into youth behavior, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have taken the “big trawl” approach, casting their net wide to pull in all the measured traits, behaviors and environments that make up who we are and examine associations with the genetic building blocks comprising risk for […]
Three researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have received highly competitive and prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s awards for “High Risk, High Reward” medical research funding totaling $10 million over five years. Hong Chen, PhD, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and of neurosurgery at the […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the 21st annual Nierenberg Prize from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. The prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. Gordon, director […]
For the first time, annual research funding to Washington University in St. Louis has surpassed $1 billion. External funding supports WashU investigators tackling big challenges from Alzheimer’s disease to air pollution to childhood depression. Research funding also ripples across the economy, sparking job growth, new construction and local spending, said Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. “There […]
Tae Sung (T.S.) Park, MD, a renowned neurosurgeon who pioneered a surgical technique that improved the lives of thousands of children worldwide, died Aug 31, 2024, while on vacation with his family in Mexico. He was age 77. After a remarkable career devoted to performing life-changing surgeries for children with cerebral palsy, Park retired from […]
The new project stemmed from an unexpected discovery made when researchers trained an artificial neural network to study car dashcam footage.
St. Louis is vying for a $160 million grant that leaders and academics hope will turbocharge the neuroscience sector and rectify entrenched health disparities throughout the region. The effort is part of an application to be one of the next National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines. The idea is to help assets in higher education, nonprofits, […]
When you think of mindfulness, a personal practice of deep breathing, meditation or pausing for reflection might come to mind. Expanding its use beyond the individual benefit to the collective to achieve systemic change and organizational equity is the focus of a prestigious National Science Foundation grant recently awarded to Washington University in St. Louis. […]
Eric J. Huang, MD, PhD, a renowned physician-scientist specializing in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, has been named the Edward Mallinckrodt Professor and head of the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His appointment begins Jan. 1. Huang comes to WashU Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), […]
As digital health tools grow in popularity due to rapid technological advancements and the shift toward personalized medicine, a new study highlights the critical need to focus on equity in their design. Today’s digital health tools are transforming care: wearable devices offer continuous monitoring and early warnings; telemedicine provides virtual consultations, especially in underserved areas; […]
In a recent study published in Cell, Professor of Anesthesiology, Qin Liu, PhD, and her team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the specific neurons that trigger sneezing and coughing in mice. This discovery marks a significant advancement in our understanding of these fundamental reflexes, with potential implications for managing respiratory symptoms […]
Severe injuries to the spinal cord damage nerve cells, disrupt communication with the brain and rest of the body, and lead to lasting disabilities for millions of people worldwide. The injury itself accounts for only a fraction of the overall damage inflicted on the spinal cord, tissue that runs from the brain stem to the […]
Stroke patients who survive a blood clot in the brain’s blood vessels are prone to developing new blockages during their recovery periods, even if they receive vessel-clearing interventions. In an effort to avoid further clots, doctors at 57 sites around the U.S. tested a possible solution: the addition of anti-coagulant drugs to medicine that dissolves […]
Elizabeth Pollina, PhD, an assistant professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named to the 2024 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars. She is one of seven early-career scientists recognized this year by the foundation for innovative approaches to important scientific questions that address global problems. The scholars […]
Noted developmental biologist Andy Groves has been named head of the Department of Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He studies the intricate, step-by-step processes that lead to the development of the inner ear, with the goal of better understanding the ear’s workings and spurring new treatments for hearing loss. Groves’ appointment […]
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are far less likely than those without the condition to have the molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The discovery suggests a new avenue of research through which to seek Alzheimer’s treatments, said Matthew Brier, MD PhD, an assistant […]
The Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. To earn this rating, buildings must meet stringent standards in energy use, material recycling, water consumption, and other measures indicating low environmental impact. “This achievement not only underscores […]
By recruiting the immune system to combat tumor cells, immunotherapy has improved survival rates, offering hope to millions of cancer patients. However, only about one in five people responds favorably to these treatments. With a goal of understanding and addressing immunotherapy’s limitations, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis have found that […]
The Research Development Office in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research is pleased to announce the final awardees from FY 2024 of the Here and Next Seed Grant Program. The program’s broad goal is to encourage novel, innovative interdisciplinary research excellence amongst Washington University researchers on both the Med School and Danforth Campuses. […]
Zebrafish are members of a rarefied group of vertebrates capable of fully healing a severed spinal cord. A clear understanding of how this regeneration takes place could provide clues toward strategies for healing spinal cord injuries in people. Such injuries can be devastating, causing permanent loss of sensation and movement. A new study from Washington […]
As a new academic year begins, Washington University in St. Louis is unveiling a new visual identity and an enhanced effort to communicate its important contributions in the areas of education, research and patient care to key internal and external audiences. The update includes a new university logo and website and the official adoption of […]
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 […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a way to capture the effects of aging in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. They have devised a method to study aged neurons in the lab without a brain biopsy, an advancement that could contribute to a better understanding of the disease and […]
Neurologists diagnose cognitive impairment with a clinical exam of memory and thinking skills. To determine whether Alzheimer’s disease is the cause of the cognitive impairment, evidence of the specific brain changes that characterize Alzheimer’s must be obtained, typically via a brain scan or spinal tap. Identifying people whose cognitive symptoms are due to Alzheimer’s disease […]
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 […]
In humans and other animals, signals from a central circadian clock in the brain generate the seasonal and daily rhythms of life. They help the body to prepare for expected changes in the environment and also optimize when to sleep, eat and do other daily activities. Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are working […]
David Pagliarini, PhD, the Hugo F. & Ina C. Urbauer Professor and a BJC Investigator in the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. HHMI will be supporting Pagliarini’s research on mitochondria, organelles embedded within cells that […]
The Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. To earn this rating, buildings must meet stringent standards in energy use, material recycling, water consumption, and other measures indicating low environmental impact. “This achievement not only underscores […]
The risk of developing long COVID has decreased significantly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis of data led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Researchers attributed about 70% of the risk reduction to vaccination against COVID-19 and 30% to changes over time, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s evolving […]
Racial disparities in dementia are due to social determinants of health, with genetic ancestry playing no role, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study, which was based on a long-running population-based survey in four Latin American countries, helps explain why people of predominantly […]
A migraine is not just a bad headache. It is a much-dreaded part of a neurologic disorder that has an array of possible symptoms, including pulsating cranial pain, waves of queasiness, bouts of vomiting, and hypersensitivity to light and sound. They frequently materialize unannounced and at the most inopportune of moments. Pubescent girls with a […]
Amyloid-beta (A-beta) aggregates are tangles of proteins most notably associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Despite its constant stint in the limelight, however, researchers have been unable to get a good understanding of how A-beta comes together and breaks apart. “The way A-beta behaves in a variety of environments, including the human brain, is […]
People who consume psilocybin-containing mushrooms — otherwise known as magic mushrooms — typically undergo a surreal experience in which their sense of space, time and self is distorted. Advocates have long argued that, under the right conditions, psychedelic experiences can alleviate mental distress, and a smattering of scientific studies suggests they may be right. Understanding […]
Infections and neurodegenerative diseases cause inflammation in the brain. But for unknown reasons, patients with brain inflammation often develop muscle problems that seem to be independent of the central nervous system. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have revealed how brain inflammation releases a specific protein that travels from the […]
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has named Washington University in St. Louis doctoral candidate Rubén A. García-Reyes and his adviser, Daniel C. Castro, PhD, to the 2024 cohort of the Gilliam Fellows Program. García-Reyes is working toward a PhD in neuroscience at the School of Medicine, and Castro is an assistant professor of radiology. The […]
Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, and Fred Ssewamala, PhD, have been chosen by their academic peers to receive Washington University in St. Louis’ 2024 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced. Gurnett, the A. Ernest and Jane G. Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology at the School of Medicine, will receive the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty […]
Eduardo Rosa-Molinar, PhD, who develops and applies novel microscopy approaches to the study of neuronal connections that allow brain cells to communicate, has been named the new scientific director of the Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI) and has joined the faculty of the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology and the Department of Neuroscience at the School of Medicine. […]
The ongoing opioid epidemic in the U.S. kills tens of thousands of people every year. Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, has saved countless lives by reversing opioid overdoses. But new and more powerful opioids keep appearing, and first responders are finding it increasingly difficult to revive people who overdose. Now, researchers have found […]