A new study suggests that a common genetic signature may increase a person’s risk of developing substance use disorders, regardless of whether the addiction is to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis or opioids. The research, led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, eventually could lead to universal therapies to treat multiple substance use disorders […]
In this episode, we report on a major international study involving psychiatry researchers from the School of Medicine who are working to identify causes and effects of the early stages of schizophrenia in young people — an illness characterized by significant changes in thoughts, feelings and behavior that may include a loss of contact with […]
Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, has received the 2023 Ernst H. Bárány Prize from the International Society for Eye Research. The award, which is given every two years, is presented to a distinguished scientist who has made […]
Nearly two dozen experimental therapies targeting the immune system are in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, a reflection of the growing recognition that immune processes play a key role in driving the brain damage that leads to confusion, memory loss and other debilitating symptoms. Many of the immunity-focused Alzheimer’s drugs under development are aimed at […]
For older adults with clinical depression that has not responded to standard treatments, adding the drug aripiprazole (brand name Abilify) to an antidepressant they’re already taking is more effective than switching from one antidepressant to another, according to a new multicenter study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Aripiprazole originally was […]
Timothy Miller, MD, PhD, the David Clayson Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a winner of the Rainwater Annual Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research. The prize recognizes scientific progress that could lead to innovative, effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases associated with the accumulation […]
William A. Peck, MD, former executive vice chancellor and dean of Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, died peacefully, surrounded by family, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, at his home in St. Louis County, Mo. He was 89. The first to hold the positions of both executive vice chancellor and dean at the university, […]
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 […]
Over the years, diet has become an increasingly important aspect to the management of multiple sclerosis (MS). Establishing and maintaining a healthy body weight has been associated with decreased risk for MS-related disability and disease activity. Additionally, diet affects the composition of the gut microbiome, which in turn has important effects on the immune system […]
Alzheimer’s disease is like two deaths, said Stephanie Griffin, whose father died of the brain disease in 2015. “It’s horrific,” she said. “First, you watch them lose the ability to talk, to think, to do any of the things they used to do. And then, to see them pass because of it? It’s just … […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, considered the “Father of the field” of gut microbiome research, was named this year’s recipient of the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. The honor recognizes Gordon’s groundbreaking studies of the role of the gut microbiome in human health and disease. “The microbiome offers exciting new opportunities for identifying disease mechanisms, […]
The brain health of millions of malnourished children stands to benefit following changes to global guidelines for the formulation of ready-to-eat therapeutic food — the standard treatment for severe malnutrition in developing countries. Results of a major clinical trial in Africa led by Mark Manary, MD, a professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in […]
Computer software developed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis can predict what happens to complex gene networks when individual genes are missing or dialed up more than usual. Such genetic networks play key roles in early embryonic development, guiding stem cells to form specific cell types that then build tissues and organs. […]
The brain floats in a sea of fluid that cushions it against injury, supplies it with nutrients and carries away waste. Disruptions to the normal ebb and flow of the fluid have been linked to neurological conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and hydrocephalus, a disorder involving excess fluid around the brain. Researchers at Washington University School […]
A generous $15 million commitment from Philip and Sima Needleman, longtime benefactors of Washington University in St. Louis, will enable WashU to leverage its expertise in biomedical discovery to boost drug development. The Needleman Program for Innovation and Commercialization (NPIC) will bridge the gap between the identification of promising therapeutic targets in the laboratory and […]
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis were awarded $569 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in federal fiscal year 2022, elevating WashU to No. 3 among U.S. medical schools in total NIH research funding support. The new ranking surpasses last year’s impressive research successes, when WashU […]
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 […]
Teen mental health was in crisis before COVID-19. Persistent feelings of hopelessness and sadness almost doubled over a 10-year period ending in 2019, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also during this time, attempted suicide and thoughts about suicide skyrocketed among U.S. high school students. And then came 2020. “The […]
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 […]
In this episode, we head to the emergency department. Doctors in most emergency departments around the country are dealing with fewer COVID-19-positive patients than before, but they continue to be faced with a different epidemic of sorts: the 20% to 30% of patients with dementia-related cognitive issues who seek emergency care. As the U.S. population ages, […]
Patients with glioblastoma, a devastating brain cancer, receive treatment that frequently leads to the unfortunate side effect of low white blood cell counts that lasts six months to a year. The low numbers of white blood cells are associated with shorter survival — but the specific reason for the prolonged drop in white blood cells […]
Dear School of Medicine community: I am writing to let you know that, in consultation with Chancellor Martin and School of Medicine leadership, I’ve made the decision that we will no longer submit data to U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) to support their “best medical schools” survey and ranking. This decision has been a […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and director of the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named this year’s recipient of the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research. The honor recognizes Gordon’s groundbreaking studies of the […]
A growing pile of evidence indicates that the tens of trillions of microbes that normally live in our intestines — the so-called gut microbiome — have far-reaching effects on how our bodies function. Members of this microbial community produce vitamins, help us digest food, prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria and regulate the immune system, […]
In this episode, we learn more about one of the leading problems associated with long COVID-19. Those who have been infected with the virus are at increased risk for a range of neurological conditions in the first year after an infection. Research conducted at the School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health […]
The Neuroscience Research Building under construction on the Washington University Medical Campus promises great discoveries in an environmentally friendly building that meets sustainability goals. The completed structure will contain energy-efficient, low-energy research freezers in laboratories; electric charging stations in the parking garage; and numerous other sustainability-focused elements. The 11-story, 609,000-square-foot building at 4370 Duncan Ave. […]
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 […]
People with a condition known as dry eye disease are more likely than those with healthy eyes to suffer injuries to their corneas. Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that proteins made by stem cells that regenerate the cornea may be new targets for treating and preventing […]
At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 2, several faculty members were granted tenure. Their new roles took effect Dec. 2. Granting of tenure Marlon M. Bailey as professor of African and African American studies and of women, gender, and sexuality studies, both in Arts & Sciences; Adam Q. Bauer, PhD as […]
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, […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) totaling $12.5 million to investigate the real-world effectiveness of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines and the immune response to infection and vaccination against these two illnesses. Unlike a strictly controlled clinical trial, this […]
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the pharmaceutical company Eisai Co. Ltd., headquartered in Japan, have formed a research collaboration aimed at developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The two organizations previously have partnered on Alzheimer’s clinical trials, and the new alliance combines their complementary efforts […]
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, […]
A large study that focused on whether exercise and mindfulness training could boost cognitive function in older adults found no such improvement following either intervention. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, San Diego, studied the cognitive effects of exercise, mindfulness training or both for up to […]
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 […]
The cancer therapy known as CAR-T has revolutionized treatment of some blood cancers since it was introduced in 2017. The therapy uses genetically altered immune cells to home in on cancer cells and destroy them. Now, studying mice with an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in […]
It was one of those meetings that changes your life. As a veteran dancer in New York, Elinor Harrison, PhD (AB ’01) took a professional interest in the effects of injury and movement impairment. “What if I couldn’t dance?” she remembers wondering. “What does this look like as I grow older?” While performing with celebrated choreographers such […]
Fentanyl, a powerful opioid pain reliever, is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. With the aim of improving the drug’s safety profile to make it less lethal and addictive without eliminating its ability to alleviate pain, a team of researchers, led by scientists at the Center for Clinical Pharmacology at Washington University School […]
Zooming in on a single disease and studying it intensely is often the most productive route to finding treatments. But there’s no easy way to distinguish among people living with any of the primary tauopathies — a group of rare brain diseases marked by rapidly worsening problems with thinking and movement — because the symptoms […]
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many other neurodegenerative diseases are marked by damaging clusters of proteins in the brain. Scientists have expended enormous effort searching for ways to treat such conditions by clearing these toxic clusters but have had limited success. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found an innovative way […]
The convergence of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and brain sciences is creating a unique opportunity for transformational research into the understanding of how intelligence works. Given recent breakthrough discoveries in all three areas, this is the right time to invest in this area. Within the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures, eight faculty from Arts & […]
“These trials don’t go without huge input and commitment from the participants and of course, their caregivers, and the clinical trial sites. I have the privilege of speaking to you about the trial as the lead author of this paper, but this is a team effort and includes a large group of people from multiple […]