WashU Medicine launches Center for Translational Bioinformatics

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is launching a Center for Translational Bioinformatics, an innovative joint effort of the university’s McDonnell Genome Institute and the Institute for Informatics, Data Science & Biostatistics. The center will bring together experts from diverse fields to accelerate precision medicine research and improve patient care by integrating comprehensive patient data and […]

Neurosciences on the rise

University launches new era of progress in neuroscience Understanding the brain and nervous system is one of the most pressing challenges in medicine. To meet this challenge, WashU Medicine has built and is opening the Neuroscience Research Building, a 609,000-square-foot facility expected to be among the nation’s premier neuroscience research hubs. Read more.

Understanding, treating pain, reducing opioid use, aim of $11.7 million grant

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a five-year, $11.7 million grant to study human genes and nerve cells to better understand how cells transmit pain and to identify new ways to treat it. Washington University will be one of a handful of sites participating in the Precision Human Pain […]

New strategy shows potential to block nerve loss in neurodegenerative diseases

Two new studies from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis support development of a broadly applicable treatment for neurodegenerative diseases that targets a molecule that serves as the central executioner in the death of axons, the wiring of the nervous system. Blocking this molecular executioner prevents axon loss, which has been implicated in […]

DiAntonio, Bloom, Milbrandt win ALS grant

Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Developmental Biology;  Joseph Bloom, PhD, assistant professor of genetics; and Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, the James S. McDonnell Professor and head of the Department of Genetics, all at the School of Medicine, received a two-year $300,000 grant from the ALS Finding a Cure and […]

Covey, Milbrandt, Moran named to National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has elected three faculty members from Washington University in St. Louis to its 2021 cohort of fellows: Psychiatry professor Douglas F. Covey, PhD, geneticist Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, both at the School of Medicine; and bioengineer Daniel Moran, PhD, at the McKelvey School of Engineering. The NAI fellowship is the highest professional distinction reserved solely […]

Inventive pathways

Moving innovations out of the so-called ivory tower and into the public domain holds enormous power to treat disease and improve quality of life. But while academic researchers and physicians may imagine promising clinical solutions, some are unprepared to navigate commercialization: pitching themselves, attracting investors, wrangling with intellectual property law, designing rigorous proof-of-concept studies, locating […]

Startup company founded by Washington University scientists acquired by Eli Lilly

Pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly and Company has purchased Disarm Therapeutics, a startup biotechnology firm founded by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Disarm Therapeutics was co-founded by Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, and Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD, to speed the development of treatments for multiple neurodegenerative conditions. Based on research from the Milbrandt and […]

Basis of developmental disabilities focus of $11.3 million in grants

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a pair of grants totaling $11.3 million to study genetic and environmental factors that contribute to developmental disabilities and to find new ways to improve the lives of children and adults affected by such disabilities. The grants — a five-year award from the […]

Podcast: The making of a fast, accurate saliva test for COVID-19

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials have talked about the need for better, faster and more frequent testing. Recently, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis developed a saliva test that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus without inserting a nasopharyngeal swab into the nose or throat. The saliva test […]

Research in most university labs moved from bench to internet

When Washington University Vice Chancellor for Research Jennifer K. Lodge first sounded the alarm about the disruptive impact COVID-19 likely would have on labs across the university, the research community heeded her warning, taking steps to shut down lab work and move as much as possible online. Those in position to do so began pivoting their research […]

School of Medicine expands mission of McDonnell Genome Institute

The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is entering a new era of genomic medicine, expanding its capacities beyond genome sequencing and adding a new and vital focus on understanding how genetics influences health and disease. Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, recently appointed executive director of the McDonnell Genome Institute, says the […]

Emerging areas

New centers address personalized medicine and aging From the WashU Outlook Magazine… Three newly established research centers will strengthen the School of Medicine’s commitment to advancing two of the institution’s major research priorities: personalized medicine and aging. Investigators in these centers will undertake multidisciplinary work with implications for addressing a broad range of major health […]

Gene therapy blocks peripheral nerve damage in mice

From the WashU Newsroom… Nerve axons serve as the wiring of the nervous system, sending electrical signals that control movement and sense of touch. When axons are damaged, whether by injury or as a side effect of certain drugs, a program is triggered that leads axons to self-destruct. This destruction likely plays an important role […]

Pursuing a precision paradigm

Why move from current standards of patient care to a more personalized approach to treatment? Experts at the School of Medicine describe today’s medical landscape as they plan for the care — and cures — of the future. From the WashU Newsroom… Of the top-grossing domestic movies of 2017 to date, three of the Top 5 […]

$10 million gift supports personalized medicine

Couch family gift names new building, supports genome engineering center From the WashU Newsroom… Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $10 million commitment from longtime benefactors George and Debra Couch to support research that advances personalized medicine. In recognition of their generosity, the recently built research building at 4515 McKinley […]