The Record

Research explores genetics underlying immune disorders

WashU Medicine researchers have received a $12.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study novel genetic causes of immune disorders.

Opt-in enrollment could undermine Trump Accounts’ policy goals

Using an opt-in process to open federally funded Trump Accounts for children will likely exclude millions of eligible families — and undermine the program’s promise, finds a new policy brief from the Center for Social Development.

When physics meets ecology

Mikhail Tikhonov, an associate professor of physics in Arts & Sciences, is using mathematical tools to deepen our understanding of microbial ecology and evolution.

New faculty join McKelvey Engineering

Several new faculty members are joining the McKelvey School of Engineering for the 2025-26 academic year in areas ranging from biomedical engineering to imaging science to machine learning and computer science.

Research Wire

A new study from WashU Medicine researchers identifies possible ways to make cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors more effective, including potential strategies to re-establish their effectiveness in tumors that develop resistance to this treatment.

Notables

Leila Sadat, the James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law at WashU, has been appointed to the board of eyeWitness to Atrocities, founded by the International Bar Association.

Stuart A. Kornfeld, professor emeritus of medicine, 88

Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD, the David C. and Betty Farrell Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, in St. Louis from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.