The Record

2025 in review: a look back at WashU’s top stories

In 2025, the WashU community made new discoveries, celebrated new victories and launched new efforts to make the globe safer and healthier. 

New ALS drug stabilizes decline, with improvements for some

Long-term use of a new drug, toferson, approved by the FDA for a rare genetic form of ALS, delays symptom progression and death and leads to stabilization or improvement in some, according to a study co-led by WashU Medicine researchers.

Best defense? Invest in research

The McKelvey School of Engineering has received several grants from the U.S. Department of Defense to support research into machine learning and energy storage.

Plant science with a twist

Biology and engineering researchers at WashU have uncovered the mechanism of plants’ twisting roots. Understanding how roots navigate soil is more urgent than ever as climate change intensifies.

Notables

Benjamin Garcia, the Raymond H. Wittcoff Distinguished Professor and head of the WashU Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, has received the American Chemical Society’s 2025 Saint Louis Section Award.

Notables

Beverly R. Wendland, former provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at WashU, has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia University, beginning July 1.

Announcements

Civic Fellows applications open

The Gephardt Institute is accepting student applications for its Civic Fellows Program, an intensive 14-month program with a funded summer project. Applications are due Feb. 1.