School of Medicine joins major NIH brain mapping effort

Scientists at the School of Medicine are joining a national network, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to map the intricacies of the brain. The aim is to deepen knowledge of how the brain works in healthy people — and how it malfunctions.

Hidden microbiome fortifies animals, plants too

Pioneering research at Washington University helped people understand the fundamental role of gut microbes in human health and disease. Now a community of local researchers is learning more about the diverse microbial systems that support animals, plants and ecosystems.

New system creates bioplastics, consumes CO2

A team of researchers including Joshua Yuan at the McKelvey School of Engineering has developed a system that uses carbon dioxide to produce biodegradable plastics. They could someday replace the nondegradable plastics used today.

Research Wire

Christopher Lucas (right), Jacob Montgomery and Margit Tavits, political scientists in Arts & Sciences, won a $571,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the rise of populist rhetoric on social media and its effects on democracies.

Research Wire

A discovery in the lab of Amit Pathak at the McKelvey School of Engineering connects mechanobiology to nuclear condensates in healthy cells. Results of the research were published in a special issue of the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell.

Notables

Sidharth V. Puram, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology at the School of Medicine, has received a 2022 Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Announcements

Strategic vision kickoff events scheduled

The university’s new strategic vision will be introduced Monday, Oct. 3. Register now for a series of special events.