Across campus, centrifuges have stopped spinning, incubators have been shut off, and lab benches sit empty as graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and technicians at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis obey state and local shelter-at-home orders. Only researchers investigating ways to stop COVID-19 or performing other essential duties are allowed in the usually […]
“Allopregnanolone: From molecular pathophysiology to therapeutics. A historical perspective” (2020) Neurobiology of Stress Allopregnanolone: From molecular pathophysiology to therapeutics. A historical perspective (2020) Neurobiology of Stress, 12, art. no. 100215, . Paul, S.M.a b c , Pinna, G.d , Guidotti, A.d e a Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States b The Taylor Family Institute for […]
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 5 million people in the U.S., but doctors have limited advice on how to protect against it. The disease develops silently in the brain for two decades or more before people begin showing the characteristic signs of forgetfulness and confusion. Understanding that silent […]
To help meet the increasing need for personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, staff at McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis are making use of the state-of-the-art facilities in the Spartan Light Metals Makerspace to create face shields for those treating […]
Linda J. Richards, PhD, recognized internationally for her expertise in brain development and developmental disorders, has been named head of the Department of Neuroscience and the Edison Professor of Neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She will take the helm Jan. 1. Richards is a professor of neuroscience and the deputy director of […]
Doctors are learning the loss of smell and taste are affecting about half of the coronavirus cases and some people may have those only two symptoms and no fever or body aches. Fox 2’s Mandy Murphey spoke with Dr. Jay Piccirillo a professor of otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He […]
Ream Al-Hasani Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical science at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and assistant professor of anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, recently received a $70,000 Young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation in support of her groundbreaking work in the field of opioid research. Al-Hasani […]
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a new imaging agent that could let doctors identify not only multiple types of tumors but the surrounding normal cells that the cancer takes over and uses as a shield to protect itself from attempts to destroy it. The study appears March 9 […]
With cases of the novel coronavirus on the rise in the St. Louis region, Washington University in St. Louis is anticipating shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) — such as masks, gowns, gloves and eyewear — at university-affiliated hospitals and clinics. As work is reduced in university laboratories, medical students are asking researchers to collect […]
“Modafinil in Recovery after Stroke (MIRAS): A Retrospective Study” (2020) Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Modafinil in Recovery after Stroke (MIRAS): A Retrospective Study (2020) Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 29 (4), art. no. 104645, . Cross, D.B.a , Tiu, J.c , Medicherla, C.a , Ishida, K.a , Lord, A.a , Czeisler, B.a , Wu, C.a , Golub, D.a […]
Four McKelvey School of Engineering faculty members received awards from the Skandalaris Center’s Leadership and Entrepreneurial Acceleration Program (LEAP). The LEAP Awards support Washington University faculty developing a product or innovation and provide industry connections and gap funding to stimulate Washington University technology commercialization, illuminate investment risk and rapidly accelerate development of validated projects. Out […]
Catherine Lang, PT, PhD, professor of physical therapy, of neurology and of occupational therapy, and associate director of the Movement Science Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. The award, the association’s highest honor, serves as an inspiration for physical therapists […]
Washington University in St. Louis will begin construction in March on what will be one of the largest neuroscience research buildings in the country. Located on the School of Medicine campus, the 11-story, state-of-the-art research facility will merge, cultivate and advance some of the world’s leading neuroscience research. The 609,000-square-foot facility and interconnected projects initially […]
“Challenges and Opportunities with Causal Discovery Algorithms: Application to Alzheimer’s Pathophysiology” (2020) Scientific Reports Challenges and Opportunities with Causal Discovery Algorithms: Application to Alzheimer’s Pathophysiology (2020) Scientific Reports, 10 (1), art. no. 2975, . Shen, X.a , Ma, S.a , Vemuri, P.b , Simon, G.a , Weiner, M.W.c , Aisen, P.d , Petersen, R.b , Jack, C.R.b , Saykin, A.J.e , […]
Washington University School of Medicine faculty members nominate their peers for Distinguished Faculty Awards. The honors are recognition of their colleagues’ wide-ranging achievements, talents and dedication. The recipients, recognized for excellence in clinical care, community service, research and teaching, received the awards in a ceremony Feb. 26 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on […]
“Genomic prediction of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality” (2020) Translational Psychiatry Genomic prediction of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality (2020) Translational Psychiatry, 10 (1), art. no. 23, . Kiiskinen, T.a f , Mars, N.J.f , Palviainen, T.f , Koskela, J.f , Rämö, J.T.f , Ripatti, P.f , Ruotsalainen, S.f , Palotie, A.f g h , Madden, P.A.F.b , Rose, R.J.c , Kaprio, J.d […]
During his freshman year of college, Brian Phillips came home one day to find his parents unexpectedly already there. With tears in his eyes, his dad, a former Marine, put his hand on his son’s shoulder and asked him to sit down. “I’ll never forget it,” Phillips said. “I’d never seen my dad cry before.” […]
Researchers have converted human stem cells into insulin-producing cells and demonstrated in mice infused with such cells that blood sugar levels can be controlled and diabetes functionally cured for nine months. The findings, from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are published online Feb. 24 in the journal Nature Biotechnology. “These […]
Five researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received Young Investigators Grants from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. The foundation is committed to alleviating the suffering caused by mental illness by supporting research that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research. The $70,000 grants help junior investigators launch […]
Hearing loss has long been considered a normal, and thus acceptable, part of aging. It is common: Estimates suggest that it affects two out of three adults age 70 and older. It is also rarely treated. In the U.S., only about 14 percent of adults who have hearing loss wear hearing aids. An emerging body […]
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Deanna Barch the chair-elect of its Section on Psychology, one of 24 specialized AAAS sections. Barch Barch is professor and chair of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and professor […]
From snapshots of the molecular structure of Zika virus to 3D maps of tiny blood vessels in the lungs, images captured by the Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI) have provided insight into countless biological phenomena and aided investigations into myriad aspects of human health and disease. Now, the center is poised to expand […]
Due to Zika virus, more than 1,600 babies were born in Brazil with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, from September 2015 through April 2016. The epidemic took health professionals by surprise because the virus had been known since 1947 and was not linked to birth defects. As scientists scrambled to figure out what was going […]
Dementia is one of the most debilitating consequences of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition characterized by tremors, stiffness, slow movement and impaired balance. Eighty percent of people with Parkinson’s develop dementia within 20 years of the diagnosis, and patients who carry a particular variant of the gene APOE are at especially high risk. In new research, […]
Tom Burris, Ph.D., FAAAS, FAHA, Alumni Chair in Pharmaceutical Education and vice president for research at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, recently received grant funds totaling more than $740,000 from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. The funding will support Burris’s research in the Center for Clinical Pharmacology to develop drugs targeting muscle function. Specifically, the research will focus […]
An international clinical trial evaluating whether two investigational drugs can slow memory loss and cognitive decline in people in the early stages of a rare, inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease has yielded disappointing results, an initial analysis of the data has shown. However, the researchers continue to explore data from the trial’s cognitive and clinical […]
Death by suicide in children has reached a 30-year high in the United States. During middle and high school, 10% to 15% of kids have thoughts of suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How early in a child’s life do these thoughts begin? New research from Washington University in St. Louis […]
Stanley Cohen, a Brooklyn-born biochemist who shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in medicine for the discovery of chemicals that promote and help regulate the growth of cells — research that greatly advanced science’s understanding of cancer, dementia and other maladies — died on Wednesday in Nashville. He was 97. Vanderbilt University announced his death, at a […]
Almost 80 per cent of people with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological condition characterised by tremors, slow movement, and impaired balance, will develop dementia within 20 years. Now, researchers at Washington University have discovered that those who carry a certain variant of the gene APOE may be especially at risk, potentially opening doors to treatments to […]
Clumps of proteins inside cells are a common thread in many neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. These clumps, or solid aggregates of proteins, appear to be the result of an abnormality in the process known as liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), in which individual proteins come together to form a […]
Gilbert Gallardo, assistant professor of neurology at the School of Medicine, received a five-year, $1.96 million grant from the National Institute On Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Engineering anti-tau intrabodies that reduce tauopathy by either the proteasome, lysosome, or chaperone mediated autophagy.” Read more.
Loud noise can damage the inner ear and cause hearing loss. Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Iowa have shown that a drug compound can block damage caused by loud noise, raising the possibility of medication that prevents noise-induced hearing loss. The study is published […]
Lawrence H. Snyder, MD, PhD, professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine and of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, received a five-year $2.55 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Interhemispheric communication underlying bimanual and eye-hand coordination.” Read more.
James Fitzpatrick, PhD, a professor of neuroscience and of cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected biological sciences director of the Microscopy Society of America. He will serve a three-year term on the society’s governing council beginning in 2020. An expert in biological imaging, Fitzpatrick is […]
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 6, several faculty members were appointed or promoted with tenure, effective Jan. 1 unless otherwise indicated. Appointment with tenure Lisa Tabor Connor as professor of occupational therapy at the School of Medicine, effective Dec. 6; Richard J. Cote, MD, as professor of pathology and immunology […]
Lawrence H. Snyder, MD, PhD, professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine and of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, received a five-year $2.55 million grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Interhemispheric communication underlying bimanual and eye-hand coordination.” Read more.
The TV show “Survivor,” now in its 39th season, has spawned hosts of spin-offs and adaptations. Most cater to reality-TV lovers worldwide, but one surprising variation has become part of the toolbox researchers use to understand the effects of bullying on adolescents. Bullying is known to be a risk factor for depression, especially among young […]
For more than a decade, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has led an international effort to better understand Alzheimer’s disease by studying people with rare genetic mutations that cause the disease to develop in their 50s, 40s or even 30s. The researchers have shown that the disease begins developing two decades or […]
Compelled by the potential to improve the lives of vulnerable children, emeritus trustee Walter Metcalfe and his wife, Cynthia, have committed nearly $4 million through outright and estate gifts to support the work of Joan L. Luby, MD, a highly regarded child psychiatrist. Luby and her colleagues have linked adversity, including poverty and neglect in the […]
Mayssa Mokalled, assistant professor of developmental biology, has received a five-year, $1.93 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her project titled “Mechanisms of glial bridging and neurogenesis during spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish.” Read more.
Beverly Wendland, the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, has been appointed provost of Washington University in St. Louis, effective July 1, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. Wendland will succeed Marion Crain, who has served as interim provost since July 2019. A member of the Johns […]
Victoria Church, a postdoctoral research scholar in the lab of Andrew S. Yoo, associate professor of developmental biology at the School of Medicine, received a three-year, $165,000 postdoctoral fellowship award from the William N. & Bernice E. Bumpus Foundation for her project titled “Modeling PD with patient-derived directly reprogrammed neurons.” Read more.
New research suggests that physicians evaluating young patients with hip pain should consider more than such patients’ physical health. They also should consider screening those patients for clinical depression and anxiety — impairments that researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found can have a negative impact on outcomes following hip […]
Timothy Miller, MD, PhD, the David Clayson Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and a group of his colleagues have received the inaugural Healey Center International Prize for innovation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research from the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital. […]
Valeria Cavalli, professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine, received a $300,000 Stein Innovation Award from Research to Prevent Blindness to explore ways to support the survival or regeneration of cells in the eye in order to prevent blindness caused by glaucoma. Read more.
Laura Ibanez, a postdoctoral research associate in neurogenetics and informatics in the laboratory of Carlos Cruchaga at the School of Medicine, has received a $281,370 grant from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation to study gene products associated with Alzheimer’s disease that can be found in the blood. The project will use next-generation sequencing to measure […]
R. Edward Hogan, MD, a professor of neurology and head of the Adult Epilepsy Section at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected second vice president of the American Epilepsy Society. In 2022, he will become the organization’s president. Hogan’s research interests include neuroimaging in epilepsy. Among other accomplishments, he has […]
Gregory J. Zipfel, MD, the recently named head of the Department of Neurosurgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and neurosurgeon-in-chief at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH), is also now the inaugural Ralph G. Dacey Distinguished Professor of Neurological Surgery. The professorship was funded by dozens of friends, colleagues and admirers of Dacey, the Henry G. & Edith R. […]
Spinal cord injuries caused by accidents, violence and disease paralyze from the neck down more than 5,000 people every year. In the first few months after injury, some people regain some movement and sensation in their limbs. Those who do not show improvement in the first few months are unlikely to ever recover. Now, a […]