Repurposed drug may help stabilize vision in rare disease

Roughly 50 families scattered across the world share ultra-rare variants in a particular gene. Silent for years, the inherited mutations make themselves known when patients reach the fourth decade of life. Changes in vision start a cascade of symptoms. Five to 20 years later, the illness is fatal. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine […]

Apte receives Catalyst Award for innovative approaches to research 

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor and vice chair for innovation and translation in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a $300,000 Research to Prevent Blindness /American Macular Degeneration Foundation Catalyst Award for innovative research approaches in studying age-related […]

Apte receives Bárány Prize

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 […]

Dry eye disease alters how the eye’s cornea heals itself after injury

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 […]

Cornea appears to resist infection from novel coronavirus

New findings from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest the eye’s cornea can resist infection from the novel coronavirus. Although the herpes simplex virus can infect the cornea and spread to other parts of the body in patients with compromised immune systems, and Zika virus has been found in tears […]

Four McKelvey Engineering faculty receive LEAP awards

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 […]

New hope for old disease

Doctors may soon be able to predict, prevent Alzheimer’s disease From the WashU Outlook Magazine… Caring for an aging relative with Alzheimer’s disease, watching memories slowly slip away, is an exhausting and heartbreaking ordeal. For those with the condition, modern medicine can offer little in the way of treatment as the disease inexorably strips away […]

Alzheimer’s one day may be predicted during eye exam

Noninvasive test may screen for disease before symptoms appear From the WashU School of Medicine News… It may be possible in the future to screen patients for Alzheimer’s disease using an eye exam. Using technology similar to what is found in many eye doctors’ offices, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis […]

Macular degeneration linked to aging immune cells

Older cells promote inflammation, abnormal blood vessel growth that can lead to blindness From the WashU Newsroom… As people age, their immune systems age, too. And new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that aging immune cells increase the risk for age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the […]