2021 in review: New direction, new discoveries

Goodbye 2021. We won’t focus on the way you left us — dealing with a new COVID-19 variant and uncertain about the future. No, we at Washington University will focus on the good — bold new discoveries, hopeful new students and a promising new direction for the university.

What makes an mRNA vaccine so effective?

A new study by researchers at the School of Medicine and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital helps explain why mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 have been so successful at preventing severe disease.

Asthma may reduce risk of brain tumors — but how?

Asthma has been associated with a lowered risk of brain tumors, and researchers at the School of Medicine now think they know why: Immune cells activated under conditions of asthma are less able to promote the growth of brain tumors.

Understanding features that help cells stay organized

Work from the lab of Rohit Pappu at the McKelvey School of Engineering and colleagues at St. Jude continues to reveal novel findings about phase separation, the process cells use for organization. The work was featured in one of two papers Pappu published last month.

WashU Experts on one-year anniversary of Capitol siege

Jan. 6 marks the one-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Here, experts in political science and law offer thoughts on what the attack means.

Notables

Thomas M. De Fer, MD, a nationally recognized leader in medical education, has been named director of the Division of General Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.

Research Wire

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy facility, has awarded $577,685 to Rajan Chakrabarty at the McKelvey School of Engineering to chemically image atmospheric particles.

Announcements

Faculty Achievement Award nominations sought

Nominations are being accepted for Washington University’s annual Faculty Achievement Awards, known as the Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement Award and the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award. The nomination deadline is Feb. 11.

Announcements

Postdoc peer mentor program seeks applications

The Postdoc Peer Mentorship Program at WashU is accepting applications for experienced postdoctoral researchers who would like to serve as a mentor as well as new postdocs who would like a mentor on both the Danforth and Medical campuses. The application deadline is Jan. 14.